13 indulge A rose by any other name: this
season's prettiest florals on furniture,
throws and a fabulous tent.

36 Quintessentially English, Liberty prints
are instantly recognisable but alongside its
traditional appeal the company has a hidden history of innovation.

15 miscellany Sultry summer days: throw
on your flip flops and kick back in a
stripy deckchair.
16 runway Rebels with a cause. Marni
strikes out for freedom, beauty and the
right to clash.
18 expose Highest heights,
30 project Green fingers, the enduring
appeal of English floral fabrics and the evolution of the country garden.
38 runway It takes two: the working partnerships of Eley Kishimoto and Clements
Ribeiro.
64 connect Frida Kahlo is an international
icon but her image was carefully
constructed and founded on traditional
Mexican dress.
76 collect Gilly Newberry's collection of
fine fabrics documents a golden age of
textile printing.
81 quintessence A snapshot of Clarissa
Hulse's studio and the wealth of sources
that inspire her.
82 read Reviews of the latest books that
speak volumes.

86 divulge / declare / disclose International
listings and previews.

46 Itsy bitsy They provoked public indecency trials and moral outrage, we uncover the
scandalous history of the bikini.
48 Flexible friend It's not stretching the
truth to say that Lycra changed our lives.
56 An educated guess Mary Schoeser heads
back to school to uncover new trends in
textile teaching.
60 Pick of the crop Our top graduates
reveal a wealth of budding new talent, see
them in action with our comprehensive
degree show listings.
66 Volcanic lakes, charming colonial towns
and colourful costumes – Guatemala has a
traveller's needs covered.
72 Waxwork Indonesia's traditional textile
skills have survived hell and high water yet
it’s craftspeople continue to produce the
world’s finest batik.
93 Coming next The Uniform Issue: the politics, pomp and ceremony of dress. We
examine the desire to fit in and the role of
the outsider.
95 Stockists Where to find us.
96 Subscription offers A stylish Lotta
Jansdotter mini tote worth £20 for every
new subscriber, plus tickets to see Frida
Kahlo at the Tate Modern and stunning
Clarissa Hulse silk cushions.

selvedge.org

84 view Critiques of the latest shows.

3

Contents

4

Bias
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO I had an idea
for a beautiful magazine dedicated to textiles –
not just to textile art but to textiles in every facet and
form; fabric that touches our lives. It would raise the profile
of textiles at every level, from industry innovations to the achievements of designers, artists and independent makers.
The eve of our anniversary is a good time to reflect on the whirlwind of
the last year. The highpoint of which has been our nomination for the Periodical
Publishing Association's Consumer Specialist Magazine of the Year Award. This
is an incredible achievement for an independent magazine, especially one in its infancy. I want to take this opportunity to thank all our advertisers, contributors and the small
team of dedicated people who tirelessly put this beautiful magazine together. The latter have
reluctantly agreed to appear here and help you put faces to the names. Finally and above all I
would like to thank our subscribers: without you we simply would not exist and my great idea would
have remained just that. As Selvedge blossoms we are looking forward to a bright future.
We had so many ideas for this issue that much pruning and cutting back has been necessary. I hope
that what's left is our strongest issue yet. Taking inspiration from the National Garden Scheme Yellow Book we
step outdoors and examine our enduring love of floral design and its links to the English passion for gardening.
We look at what is happening in print, from Eley Kishimoto and Clements Ribeiro, pg 38 to the quirky individual style of Lotta Jansdotter, pg 24 . We get into a holiday mood when Sarah Jane Downing reveals the history
of scandalously skimpy swimwear and Emma O'Kelly sizes up Lycra, pg 50 the fabric that made skintight styles
de rigueur. No bikini is complete without a sarong and no one wears sarongs quite as well as the Indonesians.
On a global theme we look at the Indonesian batik industry, pg 72 that although not directly affected by the tsunami is feeling its effects through the disastrous drop in tourist numbers and declining sales. Jamie Marshall, a photographer whose beautiful images have filled the pages of Selvedge since our launch, agreed to write for us about his passion for the textiles and
people of Guatemala. Still in Central America Chloë Sayer looks at Frida Kahlo, pg 64 and her affection for traditional Mexican dress. Finally Mary
Schooser reminds us what is so special about textile education in the UK and we celebrate this year's
budding new talent, pg 56 in our round up of the best student shows. From the Selvedge team enjoy

the summer! Visit a garden, see an exhibition or fly a kite, we will see you in September. •••

Anniversary wishes

Dear Editor,

I find Selvedge to be an exciting and visually
stimulating magazine that addresses beautifully
all of the things that I love: textiles, art, craft and
beautiful objects!
Zandra Rhodes

The latest issue of Selvedge arrived today – a visual treat as always with interesting articles. However as a
resident of Broughty Ferry, the suburb of Dundee mentioned in the article about jute, I am writing to point
out that Broughty Ferry is not on the opposite side of the river to Dundee, an area known as Fife, but 4
miles to the east on the same side. It seems pedantic to mention it and I apologise for that, but I would hate
any visitors to get lost on route!
Dundee was famous for three things – Jute, Jam and Journalism. As a child I remember hearing about
the number of the jute millionaires living in a small area of West Ferry being greater than the number of
millionaires living in the equivalent area in London. There was a special railway station built just for the jute
wallahs travelling to Dundee – a journey that took all of 5 minutes.
The mills had fascinating names, such as the Coffin Mill, and covered vast areas of town employing
thousands of people. As the article says, the majority of the labour was female which nurtured a strong
matriarchal society where the families existed on the earnings of the women and the men were amongst
the original 'house-husbands'.
The origins of the jute industry were as stated, to do with the whale oil but what wasn't said is that jute
was seen as a substitute for the linen industry which was dying out. The convergence of a skilled work force
of weavers, from the Low countries, damp atmosphere and running water plus the availability of whale oil,
meant that jute became the saviour of Dundee's fortunes. The workers however were not so well rewarded
and lived in squalid conditions. The effects of rickets was still a fairly common sight when I was young.
Since the demise of jute working in Dundee the mills have changed purpose or been knocked down. The
Verdant Works Museum part of Dundee's Heritage Trust, along with
Discovery Point which houses Scott's Antarctic ship Discovery, tells the
story of jute in Dundee and is well worth a visit. Sheila Mortlock
Chairman of edge - textile artists Scotland www.edge-textileartistsscotland.com

Selvedge's depth and intelligence appeal to me.
It goes beyond the 'gloss' of design without losing
any points in the magazine style stakes. Selvedge
takes textiles seriously.
Neisha Crosland
Every issue of Selvedge is an eclectic mix of
the social, geographical and physical aspects of
all manner of textiles and therein lies its incredible
success. It is a perfect format with a wonderful
balance of beautiful photographs and
fascinating stories.
Gillian Newberry, Bennison
What a fantastic magazine. Nothing can touch it
for textile lovers. Fascinating features and always
something to catch the eye.
Annabel Lewis, V V Rouleaux
I believe that Selvedge is the only magazine in the
world with a quest to find the possibilities of all
kinds of designs and artworks within the medium
of textiles. Thank you for spreading the joy of
textiles beyond the usual boundaries.
Makiko Minagawa, Creative Director Haat,
Issey Miyake.

Dear Editor,
I've been a great fan of Philip Treacy for many years now and I
absolutely loved his creations for Camilla's wedding day. Her beautiful
clothes were elegant and contemporary and this was matched by her
hats which flattered without overwhelming her. Her head-dress of gold
ostrich feathers with Swarovski crystals which accompanied the silk
brocade coat and matching hand-embroidered gown was stunning.
I am among the minority of people who bemoan the lack of opportunity to wear hats. I can't help thinking we all look somehow incomplete. Perhaps if Selvedge were to feature up and coming milliners we
could jumpstart a revival. Felicity Maunder

Ed: I love hats too and hope to cover classic millinary and new
designers in a future issue.

Getty Images

Selvedge is the most chic textiles magazine
around, and all the copies get eagerly snapped up
here at the office! I love the format and layout,
and wish the magazine all the best for many
more years to come!
Cath Kidston

5

Correspond & enquire

selvedge.org

We are happy to publish letters, unusual queries and undertake research that will be of interest to our readers. Please send intriguing questions or answers
to Polly Leonard, Selvedge Magazine, P.O Box 40038, N6 5UW, editor@selvedge.org. Please mark clearly any letters not intended for publication.

Event Dates
PART 1: 30 JUNE - 3 JULY 2005
PART 2: 7 JULY - 10 JULY 2005
Business Design Centre, London N1

For 20 years New Designers has been the foremost
exhibition of truly fresh creative talent. New Designers
delivers an event brimming with innovation in every
design discipline from jewellery to architecture.
Be inspired by genuinely original thinking and
catch the next generation of design leaders before
somebody else.

Discount ticket offer:
Book your tickets at the discounted price of £7.50*
by quoting code SL7 at newdesigners.com or by
calling 08701 222890

www.newdesigners.com
* Ticket price of £7.50 is not inclusive of booking fee. Please quote the code to
benefit from this special offer. Standard on the door admission price is £10.95

The drums of Africa still beat and they are louder than
ever in 2005. Politically this year is a crucial one in the
battle to end poverty and culturally the continent has
achieved prominance in every medium from the rarified worlds of art and fashion to reality TV – the BBC
has plans for ‘Strictly African Dancing’ featuring
celebrities learning traditional dances. Whatever form
it takes, Africa 05 is the biggest celebration of Africa
ever organised in Britain. It began with an explosion of
visual art exhibitions and the summer months feature
fantastic craft, fashion and design events.

Shawls from the collection of Sibella Egerton are back on
show due to popular demand. Born in Calcutta in 1813
Sibella Egerton had a long association with India and with the
East India Company. Sibella's shawl collection dates from
1800 to 1870, when her brothers, both civil servants in the
East India Company, regularly sent shawls home. On her
death in 1871 the shawls were packed away and only rediscovered and exhibited at Rode Hall last year. They range from
hand woven tapestry to glorious silk embroidered cashmere.
The beautiful shawls on display include an Indian twill
tapestry woven shawl made in Kasmir around 1830-40.
The paisley pattern shown is in fact the Indian boteh motif,
which may in turn have come from Mughal art or even
China. The piece has lead curator Annabel Wills to make
an exciting connection to a panel of red silk tabby weave,
woven in the Jin dynasty of China 1115-1234 and illustrated in “Chinese Silk” by Shelagh Vainker, that shows a motif
which has a striking similarity to a “boteh”.
Sibella's Shawls, West Park Museum, Macclesfield 16 April27 June 2005. Tues-Sun, 1.30-4.30 T: 01625 619831

The Curse of Cotton
“The cotton monoculture is more destructive to
Central Asia's future than the tons of heroin
that regularly transit the region.” This is the
shocking conclusion of David Lewis, Crisis
Group's Central Asia Project Director. “While
the world has invested millions in counter-narcotics programs, it has done very little to thwart
the negative impact of the cotton industry.”
Central Asia's cotton industry fuels political
repression and entrenches widespread poverty, expanding the recruitment base for extrem-

ism with potentially grave consequences for
regional stability. The Curse of Cotton: Central
Asia's Destructive Monoculture, the latest
report from the International Crisis Group,
examines the corrosive role cotton plays in
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It
states that comprehensive reform of the industry is desperately needed and calls on the
international community to get involved.
Millions of the rural poor work for little or
no reward to grow and harvest the crop. Profits

Fernando Bueno: Getty Images

Second chance

Japanese farmer’s sandals, Marcusson and Hall

The eighth Hali Fair, with its incomparable display of woven artefacts from around the world will take place in June at Olympia,
London. Alongside stunning rugs, carpets and tapestries the fair
also features exceptional works of Tribal and Primitive art.
Over the past seven years, The Hali Fair has established itself as
a leading international carpet and textile art event. The Hali Fair
takes place over eleven days on the ground floor of the National
Hall, alongside the Olympia Summer Fine Art &
Antiques Fair. Hali’s attracts over 9,000 collectors,
dealers, interior designers and art-lovers who
have come to expect a dazzling array of rugs, textiles, costumes and tribal artefacts spanning the
last 2,000 years.
Once again, some of the most important original contemporary carpet and textile designs from around the
world will be on display. Design Zone is a separate specially created area where leading contemporary carpet designers
and producers can promote their latest designs.

Artists demonstrating their skills at the
27th Art in Action will for the first time
have the opportunity to vote on each
other's work. Art in Action is inviting
every participating artist to submit a
work to be shown in a “Best of the
Best” exhibition.
Art in Action Organiser, Jeremy
Sinclair, says: “One of the key aims of
Art in Action is to present the highest
quality of art to the public, and what
tougher judges could there be than the
artists themselves?”
Since 1977, Art in Action has been
recognised as one of the best arts and
crafts events in the UK, regularly
attracting over 25,000 visitors.

On your uppers
go to the state or to elites with strong political
ties. Forced and child labour are common.
Given powerful vested interests, serious structural reform of the industry will be very difficult.
But Michael Hall, Crisis Group's Analyst in
Tajikistan, asserts: "Real change in this sector
of the economy would provide more hope for
the stability of this region than almost anything
else the international community could offer."
www.crisisgroup.org

Upper Street, London has something of a reputation for
being a restaurant mecca but before eating you need to
work up an appetite. There are a wealth of cultural destinations – The Crafts Council, Candid Arts Trust, Estorick
Collection and the Islington Arts Factory, but worthy
as they are they have to compete with the splendour
of Islington's shops. Our favourite boutiques include
Labour of Love, Atelier and Palette.
Palette offers the best vintage and modern clothing
and furnishings. In this summer’s collection Boho
and Biba feature strongly but if neither appeals fear
not. The London team will contact sources across
the globe to track down your dream dress.
Atelier’s Abigail Ahern is also adept at combining old and
new. From divine vintage to pure glamour the focus is on
elegant, well-considered design. Her textiles delight the skin
and include throws made from the finest, most luxurious
wool and clothes in nude, milk and vanilla tones.

Dot Pebbles

10
inform / inspire / insight

Sheer talent
The winner of this year's Golden Shears, jointly sponsored
by the Merchant Taylors' Company, City & Guilds and
Skillfast-UK, was Joanne Baker, a tailoring apprentice at
Gieves & Hawkes. Awarded for excellence in design, cutting, handcraft tailoring and style, Baker also won the Silver
Shears for the best woman's outfit, a black and white wool
dog-tooth check tailcoat, trousers and accessories. The
Merchant Taylors' Company also provides annual bursaries
to students attending the London College of Fashion.
T: 020 7450 4440 www.merchanttaylors.co.uk

Multi-tasking

selvedge.org

In the loop
The media may be in danger of putting someone's eye out in its haste to make free with a pair
of knitting needles, but it is safe to assume it’s a
transient passion. This time next week an
obsession with model railways may have taken
over the hearts and minds of fickle fashion journalists but there are those who will remain ever
true to knitting. Their numbers have been
swelled by months in the spotlight, and shops,
books and new products are springing up to
satisfy their growing demands. One of which –
the right to knit onboard aeroplanes – has
recently been acceded to and the ban on knitting needles in flight cabins has been relaxed.
Debbie Stoller, author of Stitch 'n Bitch: The
Knitter's Handbook is responsible for a surge in
knitting groups in the US, to the tune of 4 million members. Her follow-up publication Stitch
'n Bitch Nation features 50 new patterns
includes a Knit-Your-Own Rock Star doll –
choose from Joey Ramone or Henry Rollins.
Dolls appear to be a knitting subculture all
of their own. The Dot Pebbles kits are a
charming range of six unique dolls and
acommpanied by a instruction book. Plans
are in the pipeline for a larger book on the
subject: Knitted Babes will be published in
September featuring a 'how to knit' collection

of five babes: US Interweave Press are also
setting up a 'Knitted Babes' website.
Once inspired there are new places to stock
up on materials. 'The Hagedashery' has
launched at Fabrications, an independent
space dedicated to all aspects of contemporary
textiles. The shop stocks knitting yarns, regular
and giant knitting needles and all kinds of
“cheap frills”. While Loop on Cross Street,
Islington is a new ‘knit salon’ offering a fine
selection of yarns, knitting classes and beautiful
knitted items from across the globe.
Amongst all the excitement and novelty traditional skills are holding their own. Knitwear
designer Suzy Merrifield has won a £5,500
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship to study the dying
art of knitting on four needles. “It’s not taught at
any university and is in danger of becoming
extinct,“ says Suzy. Clearly one person’s flash in
the pan is another’s lifelong pursuit.
Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, £10.99, ISBN 0761
135901; Dot Pebbles, T: 02920 762 160,
www.dotpebbles.com; Fabrications, T: 020
7275 8043, www.fabrications1.co.uk; Loop
www.loop.gb.com; Queen Elizabeth Scholarship
Trust: Application forms available, closing date
20 January 2006 www.qest.org.uk

Liaqat Rasul, the designer behind fashion label Ghulam Sakina, will
be installing his own brand of multi-cultural design in Selfridges
Contemporary Designer area this summer. The famous London
store has commissioned a textile installation celebrating the
Ghulam Sakina AW05 womenswear collection, entitled Multi-cultural, Multi-Talented, Multi-Media, Mayhem. Rasul has also been
multi–tasking and is set to launch an exclusive homeware range
with Topshop during London fashion Week in September.
Ghulam Sakina, Selfridges, Oxford Street, London July–Sept 2005,
www.selfridges.co.uk

A gorgeous new shop
to do with all things knit.
Stocking exquisite yarns from around
the world including Laines du Nord,
Colinette, Knit One Crochet Too, Noro,
Austermann, Frog Tree, ggh, Habu,
Debbie Bliss, Manos de Uruguay and
Blue Sky Alpacas.

THE GREAT BRITISH SUMMER: THREE FINE DAYS AND A THUNDERSTORM - George Cowling

the original bikini was sold

from designer Louis Reard’s shop in the
Parisian Avenue de L'Opera. It came in a
matchbox, boasting that it was made from
just 30 inches of cloth.

●

●

FLIP FLOPS are often dismissed as
●

inappropriate footgear but it is the most

PARASOL

The word parasol literally means “for sun” in Spanish.

SARONGS

are worn across South-

enduring shoe of all time. The word for san-

East Asia. There are at least 45 ways to tie

dal relates to pre-Hellenic times. Two basic

a sarong. Women – and men who long for

designs prevailed: one with thongs between

a David Beckham look – can choose any

the toes and the other with loops and cords

one of 12 skirt styles, 22 dresses, 7 tops,

to strap the sandal to the foot. The thong

2 shorts, a pair of trousers and a jacket.

design endured, although subsequent civilisations preferred different toes: the Greeks
favoured the big toe; the Romans adopted
the second digit and the Mesapotamians felt

●

DECKCHAIRS

BRAZILIAN

design classics Havaianas were launched in June 1962 by Sao Paulo Alpargatas. 125 million
pairs of rubber flip flops are produced every year – five pairs per second. Over 2.2 billion pairs have been sold since
1962 – end-to-end they would go around the world 50 times.

are environmentally friendly. Lasting up to 50 years they are usually made from
renewable beech; while the deckchair's striped hammock seats, reminiscent of Edwardian bathing suits,
are made of hard wearing canvas, cotton or polyethylene.

selvedge.org

Virginia Johnson

most comfortable with the third toe.

●

16
runway

Pick and mix
RULES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN AND MARNI IS LEADING A REBELLION

selvedge.org

Colour strictures such as "blue and green must never be seen" or that black and brown in the same outfit is a fashion
faux pas remain surprisingly widespread. Yet the whole concept of “matching” is historically, culturally and generationally specific. Jess Cartner-Morley, at the Guardian, notes: “the generations have different ideas about what goes
with what… women over about 45 (have) much stricter principles.” Luckily no one dispels preconceptions better than
Marni. Beloved by women of all ages the company offers uplifting collections and the freedom to mix and match.
For Spring/Summer 2005 nothing looks
fresher than Marni's eclectic collection with
its joyful use of colour, artisan feel and the
most innovative design in Italian fashion.
Inspired by disparate items such as the bird
appliqué on a hessian place mat found in
Portobello market, fifties kitchen curtains,
mattress stripes and a thriftstore floral print
swimsuit, Consuelo Castiglioni has created
another collection full of colourful contrasts.
Founded in 1994 by the Castiglioni family,
Marni quickly created their own niche in the
fashion universe, fulfilling their ambition to be
distinctive through a fresh mix of craft and tailoring and defusing any potential contradiction
along the way. Their unique style produces
exquisite garments, blending refined materials
with innovative techniques. For spring/summer
05 the company ethos materialises in dresses
with high waistlines and skirts in fresh printed
fabrics that have generous, airy lines.
Impeccably cut little jackets and coats with
kimono sleeves in canvas, jute tweed, linen
and silk are thrown on top. Floral and bird
motifs appear throughout the collection, popping up on shoes, bags and jackets to add a
note of random consistency. Vivacious colour –
strawberry, meadow green and lemon – contrasts with natural hessian. Overall the look
was fresh and feminine, thrown together in a

frenzy of gorgeous shapes and colours. The
models looked as if they had been rushed onto
the catwalk, all mussed hair and odd combinations. Bell and egg-shaped skirts worn with
shrunken knits, and cropped trousers under
dresses were among the unconventional
shapes on show.
If the clothes looked challenging and occasionally difficult, the accessories made of
colourful string, beads and cloth flowers were
temptingly wearable. Narrow belts even
appeared on lustrous monochrome taffeta
evening gowns. Accessories featured a range
of exotic elements; wooden beads and leather
tassels, coloured crystals, strands of raffia,
embroidered buttons and coloured resin. Flat
leather sandals were embellished with multicoloured discs, and handbags with intertwining rope and raffia. Fabric flowers and wooden
cylinders were peculiarities of the collection
and described as a homage to arts and crafts.
Craft is important to Marni. The eyecatching handicraft look of many pieces provides a
seasonal focus while the material and technique are the essence of the garment. The
tailoring is perfectly executed and the choice
of fabric is thoughtful and considered: yet the
collections display a carefree elegance.
Unlike other designers who produce collections that are unrecognisable from one sea-

son to the next, Marni has a specific style.
Collections are composed of, to coin a
phrase, eclectic classics. Of course Marni has
redefined 'classic' according to their own philosophy and by doing so, reinvented that
mainstay of the early 90s, the capsule
wardrobe. No longer twelve items in complimentary shades of beige, each Marni collection allows wearers to play with pattern, texture and form. Not only are the garments in
each collection perfectly suited to each other,
most items can also be mixed with previous
collections – a skirt from this season could be
matched with a top from three seasons ago.
Catwalk looks can be reinterpreted: there are
no restrictions and mis-matching is matching.
Marni’s confidence in its approach can be
seen in its reluctance to advertise, almost as if
they do not wish to restrict themselves to a single image. Instead they rely on the interpretation
its clientele give to the garments. In their own
words they are focusing their energies on reaching the “fashion-conscious consumers who are
moving away from designer uniforms towards a
mix of authentic separates”. Marni is defined by
its artistic versatility. Rules and constraints are
sidestepped, explanations, ad campaigns and
press coverage are dispensed with. It is as if
this design company – like Oscar Wilde – has
only its genius to declare. ••• Sabrina Iken

runway

selvedge.org

All images courtesy of Marni Spring Summer 2005

17

selvedge.org
expose

18

Charles Bowman: Getty Images

The highest heights
FOR CENTURIES KITES HAVE LIFTED OUR SPIRITS
Great minds think alike and current thinking suggests that kites may have been
independently invented in both China and Malaysia. They were being flown in
China as long ago as 200 BC. Various legends relate the use of kites as an instrument of war by a general in the Han dynasty, either as a method of determining
distance, lifting observers to spy upon the enemy before battle or to lift fireworks
in order to terrify them. More peacefully, the people of the South Sea Islands used
kites to fish, attaching bait to the tail of the kite and a web to catch their supper.
In some Asian countries kites had considerable religious significance. In Korea,
babies had kites released for them, taking away bad luck: while in Thailand farmers flew kites during the Monsoon to ask the gods to prevent flooding.
Kites were introduced to Europe by explorers returning from Asia. The first
known reference to kite flying in Europe appears in a manuscript about military
technology, written in 1405, but by the 18th century the kite had demonstrated4

Getty Images

its usefulness as a scientific instrument. In 1749 Scottish meteorologist Alexander
Wilson used kites to measure temperature variations at altitude, and three years
later Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove that lightning was an electric current
travelling from the ground to the storm cloud. In 1833, a British meteorologist, E.
D. Archibold, used kites to lift anemometers to measure wind speed. For decades
afterwards meteorological observatories around the world used kites to provide
information about the atmosphere and â&#x20AC;&#x201C; although some may disagree â&#x20AC;&#x201C; vastly
improve weather forecasts.
Sir George Cayley experimented with kites in a quest to develop a flying machine.
In 1853 he developed a full sized glider that brieflysupported the weight of an adult
man. In doing so he developed a body of knowledge â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including the identification of
the separate properties of lift, thrust and drag which helped the Wright brothers overcome widespread scepticism and fly an aeroplane of their own design in 1903.

Returning to their military roots, kites were used as an observation device during both the first and second world wars. They were used as a means of increasing the range of visibility by German submarines, and during the second world
war kites designed to lift the antennae of an emergency radio transmitter were
standard equipment in the life rafts on British and Australian aircraft.
The development of "sport kites" led to the modern popularity of kites. These
use two lines rather than one, and may be steered around the sky, often at speeds
in excess of 100 kilometers per hour. In 1972, the Peter Powell Stunt Kite was
released. This diamond shaped kite was relatively cheap, easy to fly and triggered
a kite flying craze: but the oldest form of manoeuvrable kite was developed in
Asia. Made from tissue paper and bamboo it uses one string and the skills of the
flier to control it. Commonly known as a fighting kite, competitions to determine
the most skilful flyers are common in Asia. Competitors prepare by coating part of4

21

expose

selvedge.org

22
expose

selvedge.org

the kite's flying line with a mixture of glue and powdered glass, making the line
extremely abrasive. A sawing motion is all that is needed to cut their opponent's
line and prove their superiority. Since the development of the “Peter Powell” there
have been many other innovations, and nowadays the most common style of stunt
kite is based on the delta wing. Shaped like hang gliders, these kites make use of
high tech textiles such as kevlar and spectra, initially developed by the aerospace
industry for high performance aeroplanes and spacecraft.
Kites are more popular now than at any time in history. The largest, and oldest, kite festival in the world takes place annually in Ahmedabad, India on the
14th of January. The festival has been celebrated for centuries and the importance of kites in India is suggested by the Hindi language: it revels in over 100
different words for kite. ••• Beth Smith

FOOTSTEPS TO LEARNING
June to September, 2005
A four month long exhibition of shoes, to
mark the 21st anniversary of The Gateway
Education and Arts Centre, celebrating all the
footsteps that have passed through its doors
over that time, and all those yet to come!

THE GATEWAY
EDUCATION & ARTS
CENTRE
CHESTER STREET
SHEWSBURY

selvedge.org

Photo: Jenni Dutton

In Gateway's foyer this June, there will be an
exhibition of historical shoes, followed by fantasy shoes in July. The months of August and
September will feature talented new shoe
designers.

Straight down the line
A perfect combination of old world ideals and
new world entrepreneurial spirit, Lotta Jansdotter
is being celebrated across the design world for
exceptional purity and sleek flair. Scandinavian
born but San Francisco based, Lotta Jansson's
screen prints embrace a comforting organic simplicity – much like the designer herself.
Lotta Jansson's label doesn't just carry her
name – dotter means “daughter” in Swedish,
and her father's name is Jan – it reflects her
whole lifestyle and breathes through her every
pore. From her beloved medium of screenprint
to the earthy colour schemes and neutral fabrics
she uses, her designs tell a life story. There are
the winter berries on bare twigs from her childhood's Åland – a small island in the Baltic Sea
halfway between Sweden and Finland. There
are the pussy willows in spring and the daffodils
in high summer: the graphic patterns of her
grandmother's 50s china and the shape of a
crystal vase: the blue slate and weathered wood
of buildings she saw from a car window.
Fast forward to 2005. Now 33, Lotta
Jansson locks up her bicycle outside her
sunny Nob Hill, San Francisco storefront. Her
little store has an exposed brick wall and
stained hardwood floors, chalk white surfaces
and birch wood details. In the back is another
room, which started out as a hands-on art studio, but as the company grew turned into more

of an office. The space is filled with boxes,
samples, magazine cut-outs, reminder notes
and stacks of paperwork. Since acquiring the
studio in 2002, this is where Lotta Jansson has
moved forward at full speed and made a name
for herself as an up-and-coming surface
designer. An expansive network of stores now
carry her products: she recently secured a
notable commission for a San Francisco museum, hosts an efficient and stylish retail store on
the web, and has become a media darling
across the Pacific Ocean in Japan. “I can feel
the expansion of my company right now,” says
Lotta Jansson, jokingly comparing herself to a
young child with growing pains.
Her patterns and motifs, printed on table
runners, pillows, linen tote bags, stationery, cotton clothing and the recently introduced
yardage, display calm and simplicity. Although
they are now produced overseas and shipped to
Jansson's San Francisco studio for distribution,
Lotta Jansdotter products have a strong craft
element. Unlike many young, contemporary
designers, Jansson has not embraced computer technology in her creative process. Instead
she sketches, cuts and pastes her motifs and
patterns before they go into production. She
loves this hands-on process, even though, as
she puts it, it tends to make her feel guilty when
import, distribution and marketing tasks con-

sume her on a daily basis. “You realise after a
while that your creativity has to be distributed
differently when running a business. I love the
administrative creativity as well, but naturally I
wish I had more time to actually get paint and
glue all over my hands.”
Slight self-induced guilt, however, didn't
stop her from spending hours making invitations to a recent trunk show and sample sale
for her strong local following. Jansson's storybook handwriting was copied onto wax paper,
floral designs were pencil-coloured by hand
and along with delicate pieces of evergreen
stuffed into see-through envelopes. A hand
written address sticker and carefully picked
stamp with a botanical print topped off the creation. It might have been easier and quicker to
send out an email, or a simple pre-printed
postcard. But this is the beauty of Lotta
Jansson. She doesn't compromise. It's one of
her greatest assets – she knows it, and her
products and marketing strategies show it.
Some signature prints like “Tång”, an
organic motif “just kind of appeared when I
played around with a paintbrush”, and
“Syllöda”, a more focused pattern partly
inspired by a picture of a cut through flower
stem, clearly reflect nature's bounty. Others, like
the sleek “Askö”, are more urban-contemporary, with a nod to the graphic prints typical of

BEAUTIFUL CLEAR DESIGNS AND A STRONG SENSE OF DIRECTION ARE
LEADING LOTTA JANSSON TO THE TOP

25
profile

selvedge.org

the 50s and 60s. Jansson has always had a
fondness for that era, describing it as “not overly ornate”. While surface prints and graphic patterns are deeply rooted in Scandinavian design
– think Marimekko and Joseph Frank – in the
US, Jansson says, they are just starting to attract
attention. “When I first launched my company in
San Francisco, I was pretty much alone. You
didn't see much retro design around.”
However, her style immediately caught the
attention of design-savvy consumers in Japan:
thanks in part, says Jansson, to the natural
synergy between Scandinavian and Japanese
design, and their mutual focus on simple
shapes, sleek materials and essence of form.
Her trademark products have established her
as something of a design star in Japan. Two
coffee table books, “Lotta's Lifestyle” and
“Lotta's Travel Style”, were published within
the last three years, and she pens a monthly
column in two lifestyle magazines. Half of
Jansdotter's total sales are currently in Japan.
And now the US seems set to follow. One of the
country's most influential furniture and design
firms, Herman Miller, uses Lotta Jansdotter textiles in showrooms and at special events across
the country. San Francisco's oldest art museum, the de Young Museum, choose Lotta
Jansson to design a collection for its museum
shop. It will be a series of runners, placemats4

and porcelain items inspired by the Museum’s
ultra-modern yet natural new look – a striking
copper facade surrounded by the massive trees
of the Golden Gate Park.
Love brought Lotta Jansson to California 13
years ago. She moved to the design hub of San
Francisco, in the peak of the Internet boom of
the 90s. She still lives in the same space, now
with husband Nick – they got married on her little island last summer. On arrival she enrolled in
art classes at a community college in search of
the perfect career. Through jewellery design,
ceramics and drawing she developed a clean,

natural style. Then, the day she tried screenprinting, everything fell into place. A naturally
driven entrepreneurial spirit, Jansson saw no
reason to stay in school. “I knew this was it. I was
going to print on fabric. I dropped out of my
classes immediately.” She launched her company working out of her apartment although the
business has since moved closer to downtown.
Outside the serenity of the Lotta Jansdotter
store is busy Post Street, with a constant flow of
traffic heading to the heart of the city just a half
dozen blocks away – and “a world away from
childhood summers on Åland,” says Lotta, who

goes back every year: “I miss the forms in
nature. At the same time I see shapes everywhere. A sewage cover in the street, an iron
gate, a mailbox – there are colours and outlines
everywhere.” To keep track she carries a “visual
journal”. There have been a total of seven of
these sketchbooks since 1996, filled with seedpods, pieces of fabric, drawings – whatever
catches her eye. These are her personal library,
something to fall back on for inspiration in
design, business and life. “I always make the
time to add something to my journal. It keeps
my creative spirit alive.” ••• Elin Jensen

The Perennial
ENGLISH FLORAL FABRIC
Francis Bacon declared the garden “the purest of human pleasures”. To delight in nature and organise some small part of it has
been seen through the ages as a godly pursuit. “Bread feeds the
body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul”, says the Koran. Even
among the secular gardening is revered :“The best thing one can
do is to cultivate one's garden.” – Voltaire.
For artists flowers have provided unlimited inspiration – from the religious or
moral symbolism of the 17th century
Dutch and Flemish artists to the impressionists and Monet's sensuous immersion in a moment. In the last few years
we have witnessed a veritable return to
Eden as gardening has become a passion for many home owners. Prime time

television has countless programmes
devoted to the subject. The current
emphasis on garden make-overs is an
indication of the wish to extend our living space into the natural world: perhaps, as “minimalism” has reduced
comfort in the home, the garden is once
more a sanctuary. In the home too, after
more than a decade of minimalism, the

31

The English textile industry developed through imports from India and
Asia, and in parallel with those of
France, Italy and Holland. The original
imported Indian chintz was decorated
with exotic flowers in a varied palette
and a permanent glaze. These printed
calicos were cottons with smallish
sprigs using one colour or more, with
patterns both painted and applied by
wood blocks. The colour was mostly
derived from madder. By using different mordants – metallic oxides or minerals – the dyes were made fast and
different colours were developed. The
language of this cloth is still with us, so
embedded within a traditional English
style that its Indian origins are often
overlooked.
These early imported chintz cloths
almost always show an abundant curving tree framed within patterned borders. This framing within sprigged bor-

ders allows the tree to establish its dominant central line as it curves from side
to side, issuing branches and leaves that
hold gloriously varied and stylised flower
forms, sometimes bursting with stamenlike shoots with bold curling, unfurling,
stylised leaves. This flowering tree
known as Palampore cloth has an exotic heritage combining Hindu, Islamic
and Chinese cultures, traded and crosstraded with European textiles. But for
our purposes it was mainly imported
from India and gave us the structure of
one of the rudiments of England’s most
enduring style, the floral.
Its roots are in the history of the
growing tree, the flower, the garden –
the English floral is about growth itself.
Intrinsic to growth is change: when the
first English trader ordered his
Palampore to have a central symmetrical tree, rather than a tree at the side of
a hanging, he began to create an

English ‘look’. When the first merchant
ordered his cloth on a white ground
instead of a 'muddy red', he sowed the
seeds of a distinct English style.
In 1730 Robert Furber published
the first illustrated seedman's catalogue.
He had his plates hand tinted showing
the flowers in bloom for each month of
the year. The series of engravings were
soon adapted and printed as
Palampores. Western merchants began
to commission their own naturalistic florals developed from flower paintings and
illustrations. The floral began to reflect
English tastes rather than its Indian origins: but the structure of the repeat
owed less to the garden and more to the
loom and the copper.
By 1750 the explosion of motifs,
colour and dye technology and the
development of printing from large copper plates began to replace and sup4
plement wooden blocks. The develop-

Long Border, Great Dixter, East Sussex: Jonathan Buckley

project

beauty of the English floral has blossomed once more. Flowers seduce
every sense, we are vulnerable to their
appeal on every level – but above all
visually. A beautiful printed floral design
on a perfectly matched cloth engages
the eye and leads it effortlessly through
a series of spaces, stopping from time to
time, bending this way and that – tracing and moving through the repeat,
enjoying the chance to freewheel and
explore. It provides a route towards
reflection and an opportunity to find, in
this utterly private reflection, a transformational aesthetic experience. The
aesthetic is crucial to our wellbeing: we
have all had our breath taken away by
the sheer beauty of a landscape, a satisfying planting, a perfect fabric, poem
or piece of music. This response to
beauty is at the heart of our emotional
health, allowing us to withdraw from
the purely intellectual.

selvedge.org

32
project
The Garden Picture Libary

selvedge.org

ment of finely engraved copper plates
expanded the textile language. The skill
and ambition of master engravers was
demonstrated in the creation of elaborate scenes of ‘everyday life.’ Toiles de
Jouy emanated from the Oberkamf factory at Jouy-en-Josas near Paris. The
French scenes featured comfortable
farm houses, fences and hedges, cattle
and dogs; agrarian, often domestic
scenes of contented rural life. The
English, obviously more comfortable
with boundaries, introduced classical
architectural pillars and ruins to make
firm uprights or frames for these charming pastoral scenes.
The Toiles were resonant of the
handsome parks owned by the aristocracy and demonstrated the same idealised vison. No one created a more
desirable picturesque landscape than
Capability Brown (1730-1760). His
designs brought forth the underlying

order of nature and society, enhancing
the sublime and reinforcing the status
quo. From foreground to horizon, his
new hills, waterfalls and groves of trees
were rigourously landscaped to declare
ownership and present a refined version
of the countryside. But while gardeners
cultivated lasting reputations there are
few names associated with textile design
in this period. Prints and patterns were
created at the instigation of the owner of
the printworks. The names of fine plate
engravers are recorded in business
transactions only.
Towards the end of the 18th century William Kilburn – one of the few
recorded designers – developed a new
style depicting growing English flowers. His plate-printed field flowers of
the 1780s and 90s remain at the heart
of the language of the English floral.
One can detect in Kilburn's work
climbing roses, ranunculus and

daisies, primulas and violets that resonate with the charm and simplicity of
the cottage garden. While botanically
accurate they came no closer to the
reality of country life. In Kilburn's day
most of the ground in a cottage garden
would have been needed for vegetables and medicinal plants, but he does
reflect the domestic tradition of having
sweet smelling flowers by the door.
English textiles were, and remained,
the domain of the upper classes until
the Industrial Revolution. From the late
18th century to the early 19th century
the means of fabric production were forever changed. Crudeness of line and
colour and the increasing vulgarity of
design were unfortunate expressions of
the initial stages of the revolution. Fully
mechanised printing was attained in
1783 when Thomas Bell patented a
cylinder or roller-printing machine. The
rollers were mechanically engraved and

the master designer engraver was separated from the printing process.
Manufacturers set up large studios and
employed pattern drawers to develop
designs in-house. At the same time new
dyes were discovered, harsher than the
traditional vegetable dyes. Hefty black
lines were introduced to many patterns
to disguise the flooding edges of shapes
printed at high speed.
The government instituted select
committees in 1835, 1840 and 1845 to
investigate falling standards. As a result
Henry Cole founded Schools of Design
to educate artisans and the general
public on the link between aestheticism
and production techniques. Cole's programme of aesthetic education paved
the way for a new breed of painters and
designers who drew inspiration not only
from nature, but also from the fascinating new styles from Japan.
The Industrial Revolution was key to

of Victorian fashions, he and his companions were longing for simplicity.
His textiles used vegetable dyes, and
his wish that ordinary people – the
mass market – should enjoy the beauty he produced, was earnest. Yet his
commentary was on the past. In spite
of his beautiful draughtsmanship his
return to use of the wooden block gave
a tightness to his design structures. A
reliance on the Islamic or Medieval tile
repeat system made his textile a subgenre of its own, and something of a
design cul de sac.
It was William Robinson who developed the ‘natural garden’. He favoured
herbaceous plants, grouping elements
that belonged together and drifting the
plants as if designed by nature: selfseeded or scattered by birds. But it was
Gertrude Jekyll, who joined him in
1920, that revolutionised the English
garden, devising her amazing colour4

Marianne Majerus from Flower Gardens by Penelope Hobhouse published by Frances Lincoln.

a changing class system. New riches
from factory profits enabled merchants
and managers to develop grand houses. Their lavish gardens were incomplete without enormous glasshouses
encouraging hothouse flowers to bloom
all the year round. Textile design also
heated up, displaying ingenious, flamboyant and exuberant decoration –
flowers set in complex grids framed by
swooping ribbons, lush lilacs and roses,
oriental touches and gaudy garlands
looping over fanciful grottos. Not to be
outshone, Humphry Repton (18301900), a brilliant horticulturalist and
garden landscaper of the period, developed massive plant displays and introduced brightly coloured plantings with
new collections of shrubs.
It was from this florid background
that the great communicator William
Morris determined to follow his own
ideals. After the suffocating grandeur

34
project

07

and the gigantic repeats of Marimekko,
modernism vied with nostalgia and
boom and bust economics created
instability. Perhaps this lead to what
Lesley Jackson calls “the taste timidity”
of the mid-1980s. Creativity was evident
in only a minority of independent
designers while large textile manufacturers marketing ‘recycled’ period patterns
flourished. In 1988 a manufacturing
recession cut short a period of prosperity. In the same period the government
passed a regulation to make all upholstery fabric fire retardant. A necessary
evil, the ensuing chemical process
meant that cloth lost its defining 'hand'
and colour was no longer controllable.
Costs increased virtually overnight and
manufacturers struggled to survive.
In the USA factors as diverse as
AIDS – which wiped out a generation of
skilled and powerful Design Directors –
and the economic fallout from the col-

08

All images on this page V&A images.

selvedge.org

03

abstract ideas emanating from scientific
discoveries were photographed and
communicated to a public that expected
to be educated. For a time textiles were
less obviously floral but the period
spawned the new breed of manufacturers that returned to working alongside
designers. In 1958 Pat Albeck famously
created Horrockses popular ranges of
fresh floral prints with their simplified
daisies and stripes, chalk pastel lines
and soft colours. The 60s were a period
of paradox: 'Flower power' was
expressed in graphic new styles free of
feminine mystery, but this freedom contrasted vividly with the neatly mown
lawns of suburbia, uptight island planting of shrubs encircled by unappealing
bedding plants – regiments of red salvia.
In 1971 Christopher Lloyd wrote
The Well Tempered Garden but generally the 1970s were a period of extremes.
In Laura Ashley’s miniature floral sprigs

Sanderson

06

fine lawn. Textile design had a new
spring in its step, encapsulated in Dufy's
merry spirit and light touch. Dufy's work
for Bianchini between 1912 and 1928
introduced new subject matter for textiles with his abstracts, frivolities, jungle
scenes and figures – he notably mixed
flowers and music and ushered in a new
era of freedom.
Innovation and discovery were also
apparent in Bauhaus design. Their
development of abstract elements in
textiles began a period of collaboration
and influence. In the 1930s refugees
fleeing persecution from all over
Europe revolutionised the textile industries in their countries of adoption.
These newcomers brought to England
an attitude of respect for painting,
drawing and colouring textiles that produced adventurous new scales and
styles of floral.
By 1951 and the Festival of Britain,
Dufy

guide for planting borders, inventing the
perennial drift for the border and organising plants to suit each other, the architecture and the human eye. The perennial recalls the wild flowers seen in
childhood and is associated with the
delight of discovery – snowdrops with
frilly green edges, bluebells in beech
woods, followed by chanterelles in wet
October, primroses on green Devon
banks and the daffodils of our nation's
favourite poem. They re-emerge every
year to tell us the season.
Following the artifice and stylisation
of Art Nouveau, by 1924 design entered
a cheerful period that reflected garden
design. Delphiniums and stocks appear,
growing naturally – no longer organised
in grandiose sweeps or linear constructions – and hinting at the gaiety in fashion. Liberty began to print their 'natural'
field flowers; pretty ‘Poppy and Daisy’, a
seminal print, was printed in 1929 on

The National Gardens Scheme has been opening fine gardens
to the public to raise money for charity for over 75 years. It has
grown from the creative entwining of two strands of our heritage
– the national passion for gardening, and the deeply embedded
desire to help those in need.
In the early days of voluntary District Nursing, a Miss Elsie Wagg
came up with the novel idea of fund raising by asking individuals to open their private gardens to the public for 'a shilling a
head', 609 gardens opened and £8,191 was raised. By 1931
over 1,000 private gardens in England and Wales opened to the
public under the banner of the National Gardens Scheme. Each
was listed by Country Life in a handbook called The Gardens of
England and Wales, later to become affectionately known, from
its arresting cover, as "The Yellow Book".
By the beginning of the Second World War, the Gardens Scheme
had become firmly established and even continued during the
hostilities, albeit in a slightly reduced form. From 1980, Garden
Owners have been able to help additional charities of their
own choice by offering them a share of the money raised.
In 1984 Macmillan Cancer Relief joined the list of nursing charities to benefit from the monies raised by the NGS.
Over the years the gardens have changed in size and style. There are
now thousands of medium-sized and small
gardens, the majority belonging to practical
enthusiasts. It is a tribute to the Scheme that
in 2002 almost 100 of the 'Pioneer' gardens
were still open.
You don't need to be a devoted horticulturalist to enjoy a visit – garden openings
are simply a beautiful and relaxing way to
spend an afternoon. Some people just
visit for the delicious home-made teas
often on offer! And always, at the back of
your mind when you visit, is the pleasant
knowledge that your money – usually
around £3 nowadays, rather than 'a
shilling' – is going to help a whole range
of good causes.

01 Indian dress, detail., 18th century 02 Textile
designs, William Kilburn, late 18th century 03

Courtesy of Timorous Beasties

09

Beasties, and a growing interest in the
handcrafted, indicated change was
afoot. A change that was rapidly accelerated by the shocking impact of 9/11.
The current proliferation of floral designs
reflects that it is the nature of the artist
to react, and react against what is.
Design too has its seasons – hot summers, then coldness, darkness, nothingness, showers, blizzards; and in spring
new growth, changed and unpredictable. ••• Susan Collier

Courtesy of Collier Campbell

lapse of junk bond trading were felt by
retail and manufacturing industries
alike. In 1959 there were 50 “better”
American department store chains;
today there are only four. Yet at the time
England experienced an economic
boom. As in Victorian times new fortunes were invested in display architecture. Richard Rogers' Lloyds inside-out
building and his Pompidou Centre in
Paris were accompanied by widespread
publicity. Postmodern concepts became
part of the public consciousness.
The type of textiles which fitted into
these designs were the new fibre art
sculptures and neutral wovens: Jack
Lenor Larsen’s “decade of beige” was
reborn. Florals withered away completely and minimalism went largely unchallenged until the millennium. Fin de
siecle stirrings in the form of the dense
colourful designs of Collier Campbell to
the eccentric exuberence of Timorous

05

Courtesy of MODA

04

project

Courtesy of MODA

The Yellow Book

36
profile

At liberty
THE INFINITE VARIETY AND TIMELESS APPEAL OF ENGLISH PRINTS

selvedge.org

What is a traditional Liberty of London print? A simplistic reply might be “a dense floral on cotton lawn”: but that would
reduce a rich and varied identity to just one of its manifestations. What distinguishes a Liberty textile and sets it apart
is a mixed recipe of colour, cloth, printing method, the rich influence of the East and fresh, contemporary design.

When Arthur Lasenby Liberty opened his shop
on Regent Street in 1875, his stock consisted
entirely of beautiful eastern silks. Advertised
as soft and flowing they were available in rich
and subdued colourings. As the company
grew and demand increased, Liberty commissioned Thomas Wardle to reproduce these
colours, and after some canny promoting this
range of hues and tones became known as
the Liberty Art Colours.
Thomas Wardle also produced some of the
earliest prints for Liberty and – like the colour
palette – these were oriental in inspiration. Prints
were taken directly from Indian and Japanese
sources. Of course an astute businessman like

Liberty knew he couldn't rely on the oriental
craze to continue indefinitely and he
branched out into other areas, commissioning
new patterns. Although never directly credited, designers such as Lewis F Day, Lindsay
Butterfield, Christopher Dresser and the
Silver Studio contributed designs.
Throughout the 1880s a close connection to
the oriental style was maintained. The Indian
influence was there, in the floral and paisley
designs; and there were Japanese inspired
drooping blossoms over stylised streams. During
this period there was no clear division between
furnishing and dress fabrics, and lightweight
silks and cottons were used for both. From the
1890s, the stylised shapes of Art Nouveau crept
into Liberty's designs. They evolved directly from
the Arts & Crafts Movement and the flowers
seemed blockier than, for example, French
designs of the same period. Although floral
designs dominated, other themes included
Persian musicians, and Japanese ladies: there
were also some surprising abstracts and a number of geometric patterns.
Though Liberty used many printers, a large
proportion of their designs were printed at
Littler's Merton Abbey printworks, which
Liberty finally bought in 1904. Here the block
printing technique dictated the style of
designs. By the mid 1890s there was a greater
difference between furnishing and dress
designs. Heavier weight fabrics were used for
furnishings, and a lighter weight for dress.
Consequently designs for furnishing fabrics

grew larger and bolder, while many of the earlier designs still appeared on dress fabrics.
Indeed, the printing blocks stored at the printworks in Merton show that some of the dress
designs were in use for decades, while the furnishing patterns, which were printed elsewhere, changed more frequently.
By the late 1910s the difference was more
pronounced: alongside the heavy Jacobean style
prints that were now printed on furnishing fabric
to go with popular 'period' schemes, were bright
outlined stylised florals and geometrics in strong
colours made newly fashionable through the
success of the Ballets Russes.
During the 1920s new fashions influenced
dress fabrics, both in colour, with bright highlights on dark grounds, and in fabrics which
became softer and shinier. In the Liberty archive
pattern books show samples of expensive
'Specials' that Liberty's Merton Abbey printworks
were producing including rich silk brocaded with
metal threads. In the late 1920s the Liberty cotton buyer, Mr Dorrell, introduced a new lawn,
called tana lawn after Lake Tana between Sudan
and Ethiopia where the cotton was produced. A
great many new designs were commissioned for
this cotton. Small pretty flowers in all over
designs were printed on tana lawn and quickly
created a new Liberty identity. A small number of
these designs came from Merton Abbey, but the
majority were copper roller printed in Lancashire.
Many of the designs were from the Silver Studio,
which had produced so many of Liberty's successful Art Nouveau designs.

The Advertising Archive

The most prolific designer for Liberty during
the 1930s was a mysterious individual identified
only by the initials DS. Some of their patterns are
still in production. Around this time the Liberty
printworks began to experiment with screen
printing, which had immediate impact. Patterns
had less definition, flowers grew sketchier and
there were more abstracts and geometrics. As
they got to grips with the technical possibilities
many of the block print designs were converted
to screen, thus extending their life even further.
Although Liberty promoted a variety of styles
through their textile designs the 'tana lawn style'
maintained a strong hold on the overall brand
identity. In the 1950s they commissioned new
designers, among them Jacqueline Groag,
Ashley Havinden, Lucienne Day, and Robert
Stewart to revive the fabric ranges and scarves.
Their work was a vivid contrast to the tana lawns.
Large abstract and geometric shapes, sun faces
and human figures appeared on Liberty products. In the late 1950s Colleen Farr set up the
design studio. She designed across all the
Liberty ranges and her reinvention of the flowered designs gave the dress cottons and silks a
contemporary edge.
Her work was continued in the 1960s by
Bernard Nevill, who took a fresh look at the
archive. The 'past' and the 'far-away' were the
inspiration for his dynamic prints. When Collier
Campbell took over in the 1970s, they also used
Liberty's traditions as the basis for new designs
and strengthened the furnishing designs with
geometrics and up-to-date stylised floral and
conversational patterns.
The Liberty design studio remains a driving
force in the textile print industry, carefully maintaining a balance between the traditional and the
new. Although there is a strong floral component
in the prints that is far from the entire story, many
successful prints do not feature flowers at all.
The typical Liberty print is technically excellent,
with beautiful colours that – whether rich or subdued – are carefully balanced and combined.
Above all, it is the quality of the design that gives
it its identity, whether newly drawn or reinvented
from an archive print. ••• Anna Buruma

Alex Sarginson

39
runway

For better or worse
CREATIVE COUPLES WITH A SINGLE-MINDED LOVE OF FASHION

For some people the idea of living and working with their partner is the stuff of nightmares. Although harmonious
partnerships can offer the best of both worlds, the process is often more battle cry than beautiful duet.
Collaborations are a delicate chemistry and not all succeed: but rare couples exist whose working life is positively
enhanced by their personal relationship. Among the exhibitors at London Fashion Week last September were two
British design teams who just happen to be married couples.
emerged with first class honours in 1991.
Despite claiming that they often fight and do
not share a vision, they married a year later
after a spell working in Brazil, and returned to
the UK in 1993 to launch their label Clements
Ribeiro. Initially known for producing luxurious cashmere with a 'street' flavour, the five
times nominated 'Designers of the Year' now
produce elegant and wearable grown up
clothes that are complex but unfussy. The
couple's collections draw on diverse references that include a nod at vintage dress and
traditional tailoring. Delicate, embellished
fabrics are a staple of the Clements Ribeiro
repertoire: perhaps because these clothes
retain some of the sassy 'street' feel of the
early days, they always seem fresh.
The label's Spring/Summer 2005 collection
perfectly illustrated the mature sophistication
that this respected team have achieved in their
design. Prints for the new season include bold
and confident florals in hot violets, jades and
poppy reds, the colours saturated and intense
enough to induce a low visual hum. Decorating
the hippie kaftans were artful mixes of rich but
washed green and pink carrying distinct flavours
of whimsical Art Nouveau-esque decadence,
garments that subtly declare who the original
hippies really were.
Clements Ribeiro Spring/Summer 05 takes
a whistlestop tour through the 20th century:

pausing at the 1940s, where dainty tea dresses
gently flare from under the bust: yet the zingy
meeting of equal parts cobalt blue and tomato
red lands these elegant empire line garments
squarely in the 21st century. Still on the 1940s
theme there are neat bone-coloured trenchcoats, again detailing the underbust with rib
height belts and pockets, girlish yet conspiratorial, as if the female cast of 'Allo 'Allo had shed
its stereotypes but retained its sauciness.
Although plenty of Clements Ribeiro exotica bloomed across the catwalk, there was also
subtle and delicate colour on view. Sensitive
palettes of blues and greys were made heavy
with embroidery and beaded embellishment.
The extensive beadwork on pistachio green silk
gave weight and presence to a dress that could
have been just simply pretty; instead it was
dynamic and sensual. This season’s highwaisted styling continued, with underbust
sashes wrapping the ribs Japanese obi fashion. Clearly Orientalism – at the height of its
fashionable popularity in the 1900s – lives on.
The authentically Oriental Wakako
Kishimoto arrived in the UK in 1986. Born in
Japan the 'quiet, shy' and diminutive half of
Eley Kishimoto gained an M.A. from Central St.
Martins in Fashion and Print. Whilst on work
placement in New York she met fellow work
placementee Mark Eley, a Welsh Fashion and
Weave graduate from Brighton Polytechnic. 4

selvedge.org

The creation of textiles, and printed textiles in
particular, is often a process of collaboration.
There are some things that just can't be done
easily with one pair of hands: dressing a loom,
screen printing a length of fabric: as Mark
Eley of Eley Kishimoto once said, “you need
someone at the other side of the table to
catch the squeegee”.
In 2004,'Creative Collaborations', a series
of panel discussions at the Fashion and Textile
Museum, covered the “spectrum of permutations of a partnership; husband and wife, sisters, partners, colleagues & friends”. Eley
Kishimoto, Collier Campbell, Antoni & Alison,
Julian Roberts and Sophie Cheung and
Timorous Beasties all participated, offering an
insight into the trials, tribulations and triumphs
that accompany the decision not to go it alone.
Creative married teams offer a meeting of
equal but different strengths and a maturing of
ideas that occurs through consistent trusted
dialogue. The collaborative duo who pull
together can support and encourage each
other along the shared journey of their career.
For Clements Ribeiro and Eley Kishimoto the
collaborative design route seems to have been
the right way to go: both labels have become
highly successful and deservedly so.
British born Suzanne Clements and
Brazilian Inacio Ribeiro met at Central St.
Martins where they studied fashion and both

nic images are clearly an influence, and hailing as she does from a pattern oriented culture
Wakako must surely have had a big hand in
building the pair's confident and assured
application of pattern to form. Mark became
interested in pattern through his experience of
weaving, and also seriously considered
becoming a graphic designer. This may
explain some of the detailed and meticulous
graphic qualities that are a significant element
of Eley Kishimoto design. The complex and
sophisticated composition of the print seems
to be a major part of the garment's structure,
with the result that a garment designed and
produced by this house has a holism that renders it an 'object' in its own right.
Eley Kishimoto Spring/Summer 05 consists
of dresses and separates decorated with measured mixes of aforementioned small-scale
detailed drawing and large bands of contrasting colour These areas of colour, sometimes
large tiered stripes or chevrons, often accentuate articulated areas of the body such as the
hips, knees and shoulders. On straight shift
dresses large circular bands of loud colour ring
the hips as if highlighting hazardous areas,
while the background print quietly busies itself
in the constant travel of linear graphic marks.
Even hosiery has the Eley Kishimoto treatment:
stockings and socks are covered with pattern,
and in what must have been a moment of maddened kitsch humour stockings were printed
with tromp l'oeil laces. Mobile jersey dresses
printed in retina burning combinations of scarlet and viridian swirls could, if one was a delicate soul, bring on a migraine. However, for the
sturdier among us this stuff is just plain excit4
ing. Bring on the 3D glasses!

selvedge.org

The couple returned to London and in
1992 set up Eley Kishimoto in their shared living room. They married each other the same
year. In these early days they worked as freelance textile designers, producing for the likes
of Joe Casely-Hayford, Alexander McQueen
and Hussein Chalayan. A little later on in
1995 the couple designed their first fashion
range of printed rainwear, pragmatically entitled 'Rainwear'. This collection consisted of
waterproof coats, umbrellas and gloves that
were decorated with their distinctive prints, a
canny career move for designers working on a
small wet island. Smart moves aside, this
design duo is passionately dedicated to print.
For them the surface is everything because
just about everything has a surface, and is
therefore a potential site for a signature Eley
Kishimoto design. Mark and Wakako have a
reputation for being genuinely modest and
hardworking: they run their operations from a
former jam factory next to Brixton prison with
a team of committed craftspeople. The
demand for Eley Kishimoto design is now so
great that this dedicated crew is hard pushed
to produce prints for the crockery, wallpaper,
furniture, footwear, lingerie and sunglasses
that are now part of the expanded label.
The house style is bold and feelgood: there
is tremendous energy in the surface which is
saved from being garish by the considered
and masterful use of graphic line drawing and
control of colour. In less skilful hands this
intense activity on the surface could be jarring,
but in the work of Eley Kishimoto it is poetic,
almost musical. The prints encompass a variety of motifs, from abstract forms through delicate florals to narrative doodle. Japanese sce-

42
runway

03 Eley Kishimoto Spring/Summer 2005

selvedge.org

03

With its defiant anti-pretty glamour, this
collection has a knowing sophistication. The
Eley Kishimoto Spring/Summer05 collection
does, like Clements Ribeiro, make distinct reference to the previous century. There is sharp
70s inspired tailoring and a 'Biba' feel to some
of the separates; however the impression is
one of reworking and referencing rather than
pastiche. The overall feel of the collection is
one of freshness, exuberance and, well,
downright intelligent sexiness.
Since starting out on the dual carriageway
to fame, fortune, love and fulfilment, Eley
Kishimoto have gained a fine reputation and
print commissions from big players Louis
Vuitton, Yves St Laurent and Versace.
Commissioning designers have also included
fellow twosome Clements Ribeiro.
For the chary and cynical among us, the
story of these married couples who have successfully extended their relationships into
their working lives may serve to reintroduce
the idea – or fantasy – of mutual creative support and genuine teamwork. On a wider scale
they also illustrate the social aspects of textiles that have their roots in centuries old
practices. The quilting bee, sewing circle,
weaving and spinning: these tasks were – and
still are – group activities that take place while
talking, laughing and gossiping. More than
any other craft, textiles makes room for others. Perhaps the predominantly feminine
roots of textiles have prevented the escalation
of artistic ego found in its 'finer' counterparts
of ceramics, sculpture and painting. After
all we can excuse the artist his 'temperament', but nice girls – and boys – must
remember to share. ••• Nicola Donovan

Unique fine quality felt hats
and accessories, felting
books and so much more!

46
anecdote

Itsy bitsy
"THERE'S NOTHING REALLY INDECENT ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY"

selvedge.org

With the birth of Venus from the azure oceans of the Mediterranean, the link
between bathing and beauty was born. The ancients would sacrifice a beautiful woman to the sea, believing her naked body held magical powers capable
of lulling a tempest. But from the outset the bikini created the opposite
effect, grabbing attention and causing scandal wherever it went.
Annette Kellerman created a sensation in
1909, not only because she was the first
female marathon swimmer, but also for her
swimsuit: although totally encasing her in
black stockinette, it was sinfully aware of her
uncorseted body and revealed her bare arms.
By the mid 1940s swimwear was the most
glamorous signifier of beauty and sexuality.
The poolside swimsuit shot was the predecessor of the 'gentlemen's magazine' spread and
a thousand starlets gleamed in photographs.
In 1946 French designer Louis Reard
‘officially’ named the two piece after the Bikini
Atoll, where an atomic bomb had been tested
just weeks earlier. It was suggested that the
bikini represented the only vestiges of clothes
left after facing an atomic blast! It immediately caused a sensation. Reard's original bikini
was sold along with hundreds of other styles
from his shop in the Parisian Avenue de
L'Opera in a matchbox, boasting that it was
made from just 30 inches of cloth. Bikinis
were banned from many public beaches
across the USA and Wigan still hadn't lifted its
official ban 40 years later...
At the Venice film festival in 1955 Diana
Dors famously claimed column inches by
being photographed in a gondola sporting a
hugely expensive £150 mink bikini - to be outshone by Jayne Mansfield’s outrageous publicity stunt, gate- crashing a poolside photo shoot
in a minuscule red bikini and 'accidentally' los-

ing the top. Only the rather dubious official line
that it was an ‘accident’ made it a sensation
rather than a scandal.
The bikini remained indomitable, the gap
between top and bottom widening each year. In
1964 American designer Rudi Gernreich introduced the topless bikini, a high-waisted bottom
with a halter strap from centre front that looped
up behind the neck, between the breasts leaving them completely exposed. He was certain
that it was the next step on the way to universal
nude bathing: but France did not agree and
banned it whilst surprisingly even the most reputable American stores sold them by the hundred. Gernreich may never have anticipated
that with the monokini he would also invent topless go-go dancing. When the owner of the
Condor nightclub in San Francisco asked one of
his dancers to don a topless swimsuit and
dance on top of a piano as it was lowered from
the ceiling, she was promptly arrested: but the
act was hugely successful and within days other
clubs were Louis R offering topless dancers.
Condemned by the Pope and banned by
the Miss World Pageant in 1952, the bikini
became the symbol of youthful sexuality in the
newly permissive society. Acceptable on the
pretext of wholesome swimming, beach games
and tanning, it was also the most undressed you
could possibly be in public. It allowed girls to
display their sexuality without being labelled as
'slutty', but freedoms gained were also lost, and

a good figure could no longer be bought with a
padded bra or girdle; it had to be earned with
punitive diet regimes. Early bikinis saw the
breasts strictly controlled with the wires and elastic that formed the rigidly defined bras. But as
the women's movement sought to free breasts as
an act of political emancipation, the string bikini
with its minimal flat triangular cups came into
favour. Stylish but impractical crochet bikinis
became hugely popular with the allure of nudity
glimpsed through all those holes, and there was
even a peephole bikini by Nautic of Paris that
saw the nipples framed by large chrome eyelets.
With Ursula Andress in Dr No and Raquel
Welch's chamois leather in The Land That Time
Forgot, the exotic impact of the bikini was captured and all manner of peculiar versions added
colour to tabloid on news days. Shaped like butterflies or festooned in fake flowers, fun gave way
to novelty as a 1970s bikini bra was adorned with
replica lion's head door knockers, and in 1980 a
cooling system was built in to a yellow plastic
number complete with solar powered propellers!
Bikinis were made from human hair, hedgehog
hides, even edible liquorice; there was also the
Trikini where the bra cups were glued on individually, but the methylated spirits needed to get
them off proved less than appealing!
Sun scares may have discredited the lie
down and fry beach holiday but there is a wider
than ever choice of one and two pieces
swimwear with an array of accessories, among
them the thong. It’s a style which has brought a
whole new range of concerns and made chic
and well groomed the order of the day. The
'Brazilian' has made it safe to wear even the itsy
bitsiest bikini – even if it is for no more than 30
minutes at a time. ••• Sarah Jane Downing

If you ever watched the 80s American TV
show Fame, you’ll remember the highs and
lows of being a student of the performing arts –
and you’ll also know a thing or two about Lycra.
Lydia, Bruno, Coco and the other heroes of the
New York City High School for the Performing
Arts spent their lives in skin-tight leggings and
garishly coloured leotards made from it. Along
with aerobics, jogging and the fashion for looking at all times as if you were just about to go
to a jazz class at Pineapple Dance Studios, it
summed up the sportswear-obsessed 80s.
More importantly, it was one of the most radical inventions in textile history.
The discovery of Lycra, and of stretch fabrics generally, ‘was without a doubt the most
significant development in twentieth century
textiles,’ says textile historian Mary Schoeser.
‘You couldn’t imagine today’s fabrics without it.
The body beautiful, Jennifer Lopez look exists
in both couture and high street fashion, and
tight clothing is an essential part of it. Before
Lycra or elastane came along, haute couture
was the only route to having a tailored fit. Lycra
democratised all that. Whatever fabric it’s
mixed with, it hangs on your body as if it has
been personally made for you.’ An elastane
yarn made from petrochemicals, Lycra is lighter
than rubber thread and does not degenerate
with exposure to body oils, perspiration, lotions
or detergents. It can be thrown in the machine
without losing its shape, it doesn’t rub the skin
and it stretches to six times its length. The

downsides? If you ignore that fact that Lycra is
currently off planet fashion’s immediate radar,
what with our obsession for all things floaty,
draping, decorated and layered, then there
aren’t any. It still appears in everything from
Marks & Spencer tracksuits, Calvin Klein
undies and Jaeger woollen suits to Levi jeans –
and even Porsche sunroofs. Says Schoeser:
‘Just because it’s not fashionable like it was in
the 80s doesn’t mean it’s not used. In fact, the
opposite is true. One fifth of all garments are
knitted and Lycra is incorporated to provide a
buoyancy that stops them sagging. It’s still a
very important element in textile design.’
Lycra was invented in 1958 by American
chemicals and fibres multinational DuPont as a
response to diminishing supplies of natural
rubber. It took ten years of research to discover
the radical new elastane fibre, christened Lycra
by DuPont. Before it, people had had to make
do with sports and swimwear made from wool,
silk or Neoprene – a synthetic rubber, also
invented by DuPont in 1930. Schoeser recalls:
‘Throughout my childhood, swimsuits were
made with Neoprene and came with ruching
down the front. Every single one disintegrated.
The ruching would suddenly unravel and catch
you unawares. It was very distressing for an
eight-year-old girl!’ It wasn’t until it appeared in
the garments of the French Olympic ski team in
1968 that Lycra really hit the headlines, and
Australian sportswear company Speedo
snapped it up and produced their aerodynamic

Racerback costumes of the 1970s.
Last year, DuPont sold the Lycra portfolio to
American fibre multinational Invista, but until
then the company had always kept the material’s chemical formula a closely-guarded secret
– in 1989, five DuPont employees from the
spandex plant in Mercedes, Argentina tried to
extort 10 million dollars for the safe return of
stolen production documents. They were
eventually arrested. Schoeser believes
DuPont’s sale was the result of
having taken the Lycra brand as
far as it could go rather than any
financial difficulties. ‘DuPont is a
hugely innovative company and it
launched an exceptional branding campaign
for Lycra. Throughout the 70s and 80s, clothing containing the fibre came with a ‘Lycra’
swing tag. Just as Brits call vacuum cleaners
‘hoovers’ and Americans call tissues ‘Kleenex’,
all stretchy fibres became known as ‘Lycra’,
even though many companies make their own
versions of it. In the fibre world, this marketing
exercise was on a par with that of Dulux and its
English sheepdog. DuPont probably felt it was
time to move on.’
For her first collection in 1981, American
swimwear designer Liza Bruce, who has a shop
in London’s Belgravia, took inspiration from the
‘ugly’ quality of early Lycra. ‘In the US, Lycra
was being used in a very unsophisticated, unrefined and practical way and Liza saw an
opportunity to use it differently,’ says a com-4

industry

There’s something crisp, disciplined and sexy about the language of hosiery: pantyhose, thigh highs, stockings, garters,
tights, bodywear, lingerie, sheers, grips, snaps, pull-ups,
suspenders, fishnets, silks, legs eleven... It’s lacy, lascivious,
languid and luxurious stuff… we forget grey marl, the Nora
Batty syndrome, painted-on wartime gravy browning, the hot
and scratchy woollies of Form 1, the support stockings for the
varicose-challenged in our rush to see snag-free, shiny, taut and
slender legs, with an arched ankle, and the flash of flesh at cellulite free thigh…as ‘Phil’ on ‘fetish google’ asserts, it’s a “symbolic containment of the sanctity within, akin to ripe fruit about
to burst”. And that’s to say nothing of the seductive ‘shh’ when
stockinged legs cross and uncross… Hmmm, thanks to the goddess for lycra!!
Fine and fabulous until we take them off. Then, tights,
stockings, hose, all collapse as stretched and wrinkled heaps
of gauzy, almost invisible, fabric holding our scent and our dead
skin cells, lifeless, formless, dozy… There’s something uncanny
about these odd garments, powerful when on, and differently
powerful when off. Freud wrote of the uncanniness of the dismembered body, of the odd creepiness of body parts detached
from their rightful place. Linked to issues of home, family,
trauma and repressed memory, for me, this is exactly what
discarded hosiery conjures. The special relationship between
these garments and the leg: a snug stretched highly intimate
relationship charged with desire and the fantastical, conjoins
limb and lycra skin.
The peeled leg, with its shed skin, alters that balance,
and there is nothing less sexy and more literally abject than discarded hosiery. ••• CH

Advertising Archive

selvedge.org

Dennis O’Clair, Getty Images

50

Tight fit
pany spokeswoman. Thus her sporty, high leg,
ultra-chic costumes were born. In the 90s,
Bruce helped develop ‘matt crepe Lycra’, a
tougher, heavier version of the material which
she still uses in her costumes today, and have
become her signature range.
Speedo – always a pioneer when it comes
to new fabrics – still uses Lycra in its sportswear but has an in-house R&D team working
on new materials. One of these, ‘Endurance’
was launched in 2000 and claims to be ‘20
times more colour resistant than conventional elastane swimwear’. David Robinson, Vice
President of Global Product, Speedo
International says: ‘The Endurance fabric
took a number of years to develop and came
from a consumer demand for a long-lasting
swimwear fabric that was as comfortable as
nylon/Lycra but was non-degradable and
colour-fade resistant – hence the launch of
Speedo Endurance swimwear.’ He adds: ‘We
continue to focus on developing new fabrics
with recent innovations including the first
non-transparent white fabric and a new luxurious, super soft fabric called Speedo
‘Sculpture’ that sculpts and smoothes the
body’s shape.’
Lycra may no longer be at the forefront
of swimwear fabric innovation, and natural
fabrics like cotton, linen, cashmere and
silk may carry the cachet in the fashion world these days, but Schoeser
predicts that Lycra will never
go out of fashion. ‘Many natural fabrics are in short
supply, and designers
have to turn to manmade materials.’
Cue last winter’s

Lycra stretch jumpers from Greek-born
designer Sophia Kokosalaki, and Christian
Dior’s grey stretch-cotton hot pants teamed
with chiffon and silk floaty tops. It may not
be having a moment like it did in the 80s
when Tunisian fashion designer Azzedine
Alaia – the ‘King of Cling’ – sent models
down the runway in Lycra bandage dresses or
when Herve Leger created iconic stripy
skintight Lycra dresses: but according to
global branding experts Interbrand, more
than 80 per cent of women in most major
markets are familiar with the Lycra
brand. ‘It’s as common as cotton
these days. There may even be
an attitude of “so what?”
about Lycra content,’ says
Schoeser, ‘but it won’t
disappear. That’s just
not possible.’ •••

Emma O’Kelly

selvedge.org

Featuring at

Art in Action

souk 020 8341 9721

52

53
souk 020 8341 9721

85% OF GRADUATES ARE EMPLOYED IN THE
INTERNATIONAL TEXTILE INDUSTRY
THE FASHION TEXTILES DESIGN WITH BUSINESS
STUDIES COURSE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON
HOLDS AN INTERNATIONAL
REPUTATION FIRST ESTABLISHED IN 1977.
IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN OUR STANDARD OF
EXCELLENCE WE STRONGLY ENDORSE THE
CREATIVE ABILITIES OF OUR STUDENTS WHILE
MAKING THEM AWARE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT
PREVAIL IN THE GLOBAL TEXTILES MARKET.

Our portfolio of postgraduate programmes enables you to develop specialist knowledge and
skills in art, design, media and communication. We are currently accepting applications for
advanced study in a range of disciplines including:
PgCert:

Preparing for Creative Business

MA:

Contemporary Crafts (Textiles)

MPhil/PhD

Contemporary Crafts: Ceramics and Textiles

Study can be undertaken on a full or part-time basis. For further information, call Registry
on 01252 722441 or visit our website www.surrart.ac.uk

For more information on show and programmes www.wsa.soton.ac.uk
Telephone: 023 8059 4741 or email prospenq@soton.ac.uk

BA(Hons) Textile Design at Falmouth
allows you to explore both new and
traditional materials and processes, and
new ways of combining them.
Based in our award-winning Design
Centre where you will benefit from world
class facilities, such as specially imported
hand-looms, a computer-controlled
Jacquard loom, a digital printing facility,
and dedicated workshops for printing and
dyeing, you will design, construct and
create textiles, develop skills in a wide
range of processes and production
techniques, and establish your own visual
language as well as your own position in
the world of contemporary textile design.
For further information,
please contact Admissions
on 01326 211077 or email
admissions@falmouth.ac.uk

MA Degrees
100.8%

BA Degree Show from 27th June to 1st July 2005

Stitch, Weave, Print

To reserve a place on our Open Day
on Tuesday 28th June, where you will
also have the opportunity to view the
work of graduating students, please
contact the Education Liaison Officer
on 01326 213761 or email
opendays@falmouth.ac.uk

BA (Hons) Textiles and Surface Design
This is an award of the University of Teesside delivered in partnership with CCAD

For full-time or part-time information about
this award-winning degree programme,
contact: (01642) 288888 www.ccad.ac.uk
An educational charity providing specialist further and
higher education programmes in the creative professions

selvedge.org

Peter Beavis, Getty Images

01

57
education

Learning curve
COLLEGES BEND TO THE WISHES OF STUDENTS

Nature abhors a vacuum, and it seems that this well-known phrase

energy, coupled with a mandate to increase student numbers. Among
institutions and courses alike, the whirl of name-changes and amalgamations was dizzying and occasionally confusing. What happened to
the BA(Hons) at Kidderminster, where so many fine carpet designers
had been trained? Ahh, the College has expanded by focussing on other
types of training, but the University of Wolverhampton – a former polytechnic – has taken up the mantle by offering more places on its BA
(Hons) course in design for interior textiles, within which carpet design
was already included.
Today there are some five dozen educational establishments providing close to 1,500 graduates annually from undergraduate and postgraduate textile and textile-related courses in the UK. Nearly all offer a
BA(Hons), and the majority also cater to those seeking a PGDip, MA or
M Des. Many now also provide supervision for practice-based post-MA
studies, the MPhil and PhD. Any of these degrees opens a global door
for graduates, typically already acquainted with a range of companies
through the contacts cultivated by teaching staff and now a vital component in the external assessment of an institution's viability. Taking but
one example, the MA in textile practice and theory offered by
Winchester School of Art (since 1996 part of the University of
Southampton) has recently collaborated with the Italian fabric house,
Mantero Seta Spa, the Netherlands-based world leader in textile-printing machine manufacture, Stork, and a variety of fashion and furnishings houses including Givenchy, Donna Karan, Marks & Spencer,
Habitat and EHO Speedo.
Providing this range of educational options has, however, altered
the landscape of everyday life within teaching institutions. Gone is the
assumption that every student will have personal studio space and
equipment at their disposal in their department. Gone too is the pattern
of attendance that found nearly all students at print tables, looms or
their own workstation for four days each week, with the fifth day devoted to lectures and seminars about some closely related aspect of their
field, typically design history. In their place has come flexible programmes, with part-time routes built in to many courses. Goldsmiths
College (University of London) has even begun to offer evening classes
as an integral part of their part-time postgraduate textile courses, a4

selvedge.org

applies equally to textiles and their constant significance in Britain. Mile
for mile, it preserves more historic textiles than any other nation. Not
much more than a stone's throw away from any location, one can find
a street name, building or archeological site recalling textile manufacturing that ultimately rose to world dominance during the 19th century.
Textile design education, in the formal sense, was in its infancy then,
entirely lacking the caché of training in France. Yet while observers
bemoaned the demise of much of what remained of the old British textile industry in the 20th century, many seem to have missed the emergence of an educational system whose graduates' contribution to the
global industry is unrivalled. Cloth may no longer flow in impressive
amounts from the looms of this nation, but textile designers do. And they
don't confine themselves to the narrowly defined fields of print, weave,
knit or embroidery, but can be found designing wallcoverings, consulting
in trend prediction, colour and lifestyle, styling in the marketing and merchandising sectors of the industry and much, much more.
Twenty-five years ago it was easy to describe the textile education
available in the UK: there were some three-dozen excellent BA Honours
courses and one sought-after MA offered in London, at the Royal
College of Art. The sole undergraduate course devoted to tapestry –
then as now – was to be found at Edinburgh College of Art, where it benefited from close links with the Edinburgh Tapestry Studio. Elsewhere,
institutions that were once aligned to a local speciality had already
expanded their offering, often by developing strengths in related fields.
Examples range from Nottingham Trent's replacement of expertise in
machine-made lace with that of knitwear, to the University of Ulster's use
of their proximity to the once gigantic Belfast shirt-making industry as a
springboard for an innovative textiles and fashion course.
Much more significant changes began in 1991 with the transformation of established polytechnics and art colleges into new universities. Since that time the provision of postgraduate textile education has
mushroomed. What propelled the creation of over twenty new textile
courses leading to an MA (and the Scottish MDes) was a kind of 'deregulation' that is more readily associated with the government's policy of
the period on services such as transportation, telecommunications and

58

01 Student preparing a screen for printing

selvedge.org

education

02 Design studio

feature long typical of American colleges, but not of those in the UK. As
Maureen Wayman put it, in the new educational environment, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear
for all to see that 'one size doesn't fit all.'
Wayman, Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of Faculty of Art and
Design at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), speaks with
pride of the long-established reputation of their undergraduate training,
noted especially for embroidery. (A current eminent visiting professor,
Michael Brennand-Wood, is but one noted graduate.) Nevertheless, she
enthuses about the current shift in emphasis from named routes to
broad courses that can widen participation, allow hybrid fashion/textile
training to flourish, and cater for the growing number of students intent
on becoming designer-makers. For these entrepreneurial souls, MMU
has developed a new B Des degree focussed on small-scale production
and, as an alternative to an MA, provide two years' support for those
running their own new businesses by hosting a programme based on
the North West Arts Board/Arts Council's schemes, What's Next and
Next Move. In addition, they help young graduates by maintaining
Dialogbox, a concession in Selfridge's, Manchester. Such a 'shop window' was equally pivotal in establishing Duncan of Jordanstone's
(Dundee, Scotland) renown for printed textiles.
Equally broadening is the theoretical framework for textile arts.
Critical enquiry and debate are fundamental to the practice-based M
Phil and PhD students who have been able to pursue this route in an
increasing number of institutions since the 1990s. However, these
issues have gained a firm hold at earlier stages too. With many BA and
MA courses now constructed around self-negotiated units or routes,
students must articulate why and how they intended to realise their particular goal. For those who wish to immerse themselves in defining the
field, there are postgraduate courses directed especially at the crossfertilization between theory and practice. Among these is the MA Textile
Culture offered by Norwich School of Art & Design, which 'challenges
and encourages a broad perspective on the historical, global, local, contemporary and critical contexts for which textiles are a formative medium.' Situated in what was once a centre for fine shawl weaving inspired
by products of the Indian subcontinent, the emphasis on the historical
and global is appositely combined in this course with units on the intercultural and 'site, body and text'.
While individual details vary, virtually all courses have evolved and
adapted to meet new challenges. Computer-aided design (CAD) and
digital printing have been in the forefront of the creation of a newly complex set of needs, on the one hand to design for what might be far-distant machines and on the other, to harness the possibilities of a new

printing technology that, compared to established methods, is not only
far cleaner and quieter, but takes up a fraction of the space, is more
flexible, and is affordable. A garage is ample room for a digital printing
studio and if few students as yet have these, many do have CAD programmes on their computers at home. Perfect for quickly-produced
short runs, digital technology has had the most evident impact in the
fashion-textiles arena. Indeed, MMU bought their first digital printer for
their fashion students, and at Glasgow School of Art, the Centre for
Advanced Textiles finds its digital printer in greatest demand in the runup to London Fashion Week.
In contrast to the 'no set diet', negotiated courses, tailored to individual creative directions, today there are also a range of hybrid degrees
aimed at particular aspects of the global industry. The myriad of possibilities provided by new fibres and fabric treatments are at the heart of
focussed courses such as the University of Huddersfield's MSc in textile technology for textile designers and the University of Derby's
Performance and Design MA. The latter, which combines textiles, fashion, graphics (especially packaging), product and sportswear design,
including footwear, takes advantage of performance materials and
includes the study of human physiology. It boasts among its recent
graduates a designer for Dupont Advanced Fibres. For those with an
eye on a management position, there are postgraduate courses such as
the MA in fashion/textiles with an emphasis on marketing and business
skills, offered by Bath Spa University College, and the brand new range
of postgraduate degrees in design management for interactive media,
which brings together expertise from the School of Textiles and Design
and the School of Management and Languages at Heriott Watt
University, which has campuses in Edinburgh and Galashiels.
Although new in concept and content, such courses continue the
UK's traditional strength in understanding and providing for its leading
industries. At Heriott Watt, course director Dr Britta Kalkreuter has perceptively modified what was once primarily a training ground for
Scottish Borders' weavers, knitters and spinners into one aimed at
emerging industries. As her prospectus notes, already in the UK alone,
'approximately 50,000 people are involved in the Interactive Media
industries, [which] needs a new type of postgraduate with strong design
and technical skills, marketing awareness and the ability to conceive
and communicate a powerful creative vision.' Even more ambitious is
the sole postgraduate course in the UK designed to identify - and even
create â&#x20AC;&#x201C; emerging industries. This is the MA Textile Futures at Central
Saint Martins College of Art and Design (CSM), part of the University of
the Arts, London. Here the emphasis is placed firmly on identifying a

Lian Bailey: Alamy

critical agenda and coherent design philosophy applied to a selected
'future', based on topics such as smart textiles, new materials, interactive design, sustainable textiles, trend forecasting, branding, fashion
or craft. Rachel Kelly, featured in Selvedge (issue 02), developed her
Interactive Wallpaper while a student on this course, and since her
graduation in 2001 has formed her own business and recently entered
into licensed production in Japan.
The CSM Textile Futures course provides a telling insight into the
new style of textile education to be found in Britain today. First, it has
been hard won. Course director Carole Collet commented recently that
it took ten years to realise the vision. After a dozen years of substantial
change, it is only now that this course, like many others, can count its
achievements in scores rather than handfuls. Next, it thrives on collaboration. Students who explore the latest concepts and technologies
need access to equally innovative materials, technologies and minds.
For the near-at-hand experience of the latter, research fellows and visiting professors enrich many courses and this trend is exemplified at
CSM by Dr Jane Harris, a leading exponent of the virtual textile.
But CSM Textile Futures' students are expected to seek out appropriate mentors wherever they may be. Past students have forged links
with other training centres: Asha Thompson with Brunnel University's
Design for Life Centre, or Sung Min Kim with the Hanyang University
of Seoul, where she has introduced a course based on CSM's Textile
Futures. Tomoko Hayashi, a 2004 graduate, joined Medialab Europe's
Human Connectedness team to develop a collection of conceptual
'connecting' prototypes for couples existing in long distance relationships. While some have worked for Lacroix, Dior and Gautier, Davina
Hawthorne (2002) started her own label with the help of the
Clerkenwell Green Association, creating 'fashioned skins' based on
digital and ultrasonic welding technologies. Graduates also work in the
fields of architecture, theatre and film, transport, products, living
spaces and the environment. Such diversity inspires other courses too.
What remains the same after so much upheaval in the provision
of higher education in the UK is the focus on textile skills. New is the
definition of these skills. The leading institutions no longer look to
serve British textile manufacturers, but intend to train students to
create their own opportunities, to identify new concepts and to take
part in a worldwide industry. All this is encapsulated in the words of
Jane Rapley OBE, Dean of the School of Fashion and Textile Design
at CSM, who speaks of an 'ambition for our students in that the way
they devise and design textiles now will influence the way we live in
the future.' ••• Mary Schoeser

02

Cleveland Colle
ge of Art

The Surrey Institute of Art & Design

Loughborough University, LUSAD

selvedge.org

iversity
etropolitan Un
Manchester M

Glasgow School of Art

Chelsea College of Art & Design
Somerset College of Art & Technology

Winchester School of Art

hool of Art
Winchester Sc

education

60

61

London College of Fashion

hester
University of Manc

education

Staffordshire Un
iversity

PICK OF THE CROP:
A TASTE OF THE TALENT ON OFFER FROM THIS YEARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TEXTILE GRADUATES
The number of textile courses has risen dramatically over the last 10 years and with them the number of textile graduates. With so much work in so many
forms and mediums creativity is at an all time high. Colleges offer alternative structures and emphasis for textile students. Those on show here have excelled
on their chosen courses but from now on they will be following their own path. Their first step may be exhibiting at New Designers, for 20 years this has
been the foremost exhibition of creative talent, delivering an event brimming with innovation in every discipline from jewellery to architecture. New Designers
presents emerging graduate design talent from from over 180 university and colleges.

Americans were rarely flattering. In 1933, during
a stay in New York, she wrote: “the gringawomen are imitating me and trying to dress a la
Mexicana, but the poor souls only look like cabbages...”. In 1939, during a visit to Paris, Frida
was feted by the world of haute couture.
Schiaparelli designed a robe, Madame Rivera,
for fashionable Parisiennes.
Frida mixed different costumes to make a
carefully composed ensemble. There was, however, one combination that she favoured above
all others: the costume of Zapotec women on the
Isthmus of Oaxaca. Today, during festivals, the
Tehuana women of Tehuantepec and Juchitán
still wear a close-fitting top, termed a huipil, over
a long gathered skirt with a flounce of starched
lace at the hem. The velvet ground of gala garments is covered with large satin-stitched flowers. For added splendour, some women wear an
elaborate headdress of starched lace. Tehuana
women, widely regarded as sensuous and
strong, play a dominant role in Isthmus life. Their
poise and courage no doubt appealed to Frida.
At the end of her life, beset by pain and ill
heath, Frida continued to dress as if each day
was a fiesta. In life, as in art, she loved colour and
alegría (gaiety). On her last birthday she wore a
hand-woven tunic of white cotton, with a lavender tassel, from Yalalag in Oaxaca. Just days later
she was dead. ••• Chloë Sayer

See listings for current exhibitions at Tate
Modern and National Portrait Gallery.
01 Detail of an embroidered Maya huipil
02 Zapotec women wearing Tehuana clothing in
Tehuantepec and Juchitán on the Isthmus of
Oaxaca during the fiesta de la Asuncion.

Chloë Sayer

the theme of her art. Her vibrant self-portraits
intimately reflect her experiences, dreams,
hopes and fears. Born in 1907 she suffered a
serious accident at the age of eighteen. Although
it left her crippled and unable to bear children,
she was determined to live life to the full. In 1929
she married the flamboyant artist Diego Rivera.
Their tempestuous relationship was punctuated
by divorce, remarriage, and numerous affairs –
Kahlo's intermittent lovers included Trotsky – but
they were still together when she died in 1954.
Today Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera have
iconic status. Both, in their different ways,
helped to shape the cultural identity of twentiethcentury Mexico. The Revolution of 1910 banished European influence in the arts. Kahlo and
Rivera were at the centre of an intellectual circle
that glorified the achievements of ancient
Mexican civilisations. Folk art was revered. The
couple surrounded themselves with weavings,
papier-mâché figures and toys from street markets. Many of Kahlo's most powerfully autobiographical paintings show her surrounded by
tropical fruit or flowers and dressed in regional
clothing. Native clothing symbolised her political
allegiance to peasant cultures, but it also shaped
her own highly personal style. With her embroidered blouses, huaraches (sandals), fringed
shawls and floor-length skirts, Frida caused a
sensation wherever she went.
To complement her 'exotic' costumes – her
collection included more than 180 garments,
mostly from the state of Oaxaca – Frida braided
her hair with bright ribbons or decorated it with
combs and flowers. To Frida's apparent surprise,
her striking appearance was not just admired but
even imitated. Her descriptions of North

babies slung around their backs en route to
church; grandmothers dragging reluctant pigs
to market; solitary figures in canoes slicing
their way through mists at dawn; weatherbeaten faces peering through the shutters of
adobe walled homes; and children as carefree
as they are shoeless.
It makes sense to skip the congested
sprawl of the capital and head straight to
Antigua, less than an hour from Guatemala
City, to acclimatise to the altitude before heading on into the highlands. The volcanoes of
Acatenango, Agua and Fuego loom over
Antigua like sentinels, imposing reminders of
both past events and future fate. Antigua was

for over two hundred years the Spanish seat of
government for a vast swathe of Middle
America until, in 1773, a devastating earthquake left her in tatters. The ruins bear testament to the determination of the colonisers and
the futility of their grand efforts. The sheer concentration of cobblestone plazas, stone fountains, colour-washed arches, churches, convents and palaces make it one of the most
beautiful cities in the Americas and a place
spared over-commercialisation thanks to its
World Heritage status.
Winding steeply down from the altiplano
through the colourful market town of Sololá
offers a glimpse of the clear, deep-blue waters4

selvedge.org

It always comes as a shock to meet a traveller
who, in the midst of a brief foray around
Guatemala, fails to wish they were staying
longer. From the dizzy heights of some of the
grandest volcanic peaks on the continent, to
the humidity of the archaeologically rich jungles
of the Petén, there is enough to keep even the
most world-weary traveller on cloud nine for
weeks. Vibrant highland markets and fiestas,
colonial architecture, ancient Maya pyramids,
and dazzling textile traditions are all packed
into a nation that’s surprisingly small.
Even experienced photographers are left
gasping between frames. In one’s viewfinder
are Maya women in brilliant costumes with

68

Beren Patterson

Tracey Hallitt

destination

selvedge.org

of Lake Atitlán, unquestionably one of the most
beautiful lakes in the world. This gigantic
water-filled caldera is surrounded by volcanic
peaks and more than a dozen traditional Maya
settlements. The Kaqchikel Maya town of
Panajachel, its bustling main street lined with
stall upon stall of multicoloured souvenirs and
locally woven fabrics, is the perfect place from
which to launch trips.
Guatemalan Maya costume tends to be
community specific, with weavers drawing
upon an established repertoire of local designs
and colour combinations. Like many of the
hundred or so highland communities in
Guatemala that maintain a distinct style of tribal dress, each of these lakeside communities
exhibits an idiosyncratic costume that ties a
person to their respective home. A woman’s
hometown can be determined so accurately
from the individual nature of her blouse, stripe
sequence of her skirt, or simply the way her
hair ribbon is tied, that the Guatemalan army
were instructed in costume styles during the
civil war, in an attempt to combat insurgency.
In recent decades these distinctions have
become less pronounced as fashion conscious
young women have adopted the designs and
colours of other communities, or have innovated to such an extent that their dress no longer
conforms to previously established village
styles. Some communities on Lake Atitlán have
shifted entirely from the multicoloured
schemes popular in the 1970s and 80s, to a
completely different palette, currently based on
blues, purples and greens.
An hour across the Lake by ferry from
Panajachel, the Tz’utujil Maya community of
Santiago Atitlán is hemmed in by the peaks of
San Pedro, Atitlán and Tolimán volcanoes, and
is one of the few communities in Guatemala
where both women and men continue to wear
town-specific dress. The native style is striking
and somewhat unusual. Most garments are
hand-woven by women on a hip-strap loom of

a type that has been in use in Mesoamerica for
millennia. Hip-strap loom woven items include
the woman’s blouse – generally called a huipil
- rectangular shawls and multipurpose utility
cloths called zutes. In addition to garments
woven on the hip-strap loom, the wrap-around
skirt & woman’s headdress are woven on floorstanding treadle looms. The four harness
European foot loom was introduced to
Guatemala by the Spaniards in the 17th century to increase textile production in the colony,
and a number of weaving communities have
specialised in its use for generations. These
skirt weavers export various styles of fabric to
Maya communities nationwide via a network of
village markets and itinerant traders. In
Santiago Atitlán, however, this type of treadle
loom wasn’t adopted locally until the middle of
the last century: by its close there were merely
fifteen or so looms in the village.
The general form and construction of Maya
women’s costume has remained fairly consistent over centuries but stylistic change has
accelerated in recent decades. Fashion is a
driving force amongst the young who are keen
to state their individuality in an era where conservative traditionalism no longer holds sway.
Around 1900, Santiago Atitlán costume was relatively simple and had little in the way of decoration, but over the past century costume has
become more elaborate. The explosion in the
use of synthetic fibres and chemical colorants
fuelled this revolution. In the 19th century
Guatemala was the world's primary source of
cochineal, and historical Maya textiles – particularly silk and wool – show its widespread use.
Another fabled dye, murex or shellfish purple,
was highly prized, especially for ceremonial garments, but has been out of use for at least half
a century as cheaper equivalents took precedence. With the gathering momentum of the
chemical dye industry synthetic alternatives
became the norm and dyestuff plantations
4
gave way to the richer pickings of coffee.

Terrance Klassen: Alamy

70

Jamie Marshall

Jamie Marshall

destination

selvedge.org

Although little seen today, the woman’s
headdress consists of a ten to twenty metre
tapestry ribbon of predominantly red or orange
fabric wound around the head like an oversized halo. It is the most distinctive element of
Santiago dress – featured on the 25 cent coin
– and recognised throughout Guatemala.
Today it is seldom worn for everyday use and is
instead reserved for special occasions.
Sometimes children purposefully don the
headdress in the hope that a tourist will photograph them in exchange for a small reward. An
interesting historical parallel is found in headwear depicted on seventh century AD ceramic
figurines from the ancient Maya site of Copan.
The small foot-loom used to weave the hair ribbon has weathered the decline in headdress
popularity as the same tapestry techniques are
today used to create colourful purses, wallets
and stoles for the tourist trade and export.
Santiago is one of the few communities in
Guatemala where men continue to wear a traditional costume on a daily basis, although in
many cases it is increasingly confined to older
men. Elsewhere traditional costume has either
been abandoned or is reserved for ceremonial
use. The sash is often the last item of traditional costume to slip out of use.
Whereas the ancient Maya nobility had a
repertoire of clothing that included short skirts,
capes and tunics, archaeological research
indicates that the most common male garment
was a loincloth consisting of a long narrow sash
arranged around the body so that its ends
hung loose in front. Maya men readily adopted
styles of clothing from their colonial rulers, and
today the westernisation of clothing is continuing, especially amongst the youth, who prefer
western shirts over those worn by their fathers
and grandfathers. T-shirts and baseball caps,
readily available at market and from stores plying recycled North American clothing, are popular and invariably display the logo of an
American sports team.

Even though neighbouring San Pedro La
Laguna is more popular as a base, Santiago is
far less touristy once the last boat has returned
to Panajachel, and offers a good alternative
place to get a flavour for traditional lakeside
life. The main draw for most of the day-trippers
to Santiago is to visit the esoteric cult idol of
Maximón. Mysterious and highly revered,
Maximón is housed by the cofradía of Santa
Cruz, one of the local religious fraternities, and
survives on a steady flow of monetary donations, candles, alcohol and cigars from visiting
supplicants who require blessings and favours
in return. Local kids willingly act as guides for
the usual incentives. In the 1950s the Bishop
of Sololá took exception to the role that
Maximón has in Santiago’s vibrant Easter celebrations and attempted to rid the town of such
blatant pagan idolatry. The people successfully
prevented this by marching on the capital and
securing the support of the President.
Before the Conquest Santiago was the capital of the Tz’utujil nation. Across the bay on
the lower slopes of San Pedro lie an ancient
ceremonial centre and fortress. Although few
traces of pre-Columbian structures remain, the
cornfields around Cerro Chuitinamit are littered
with ceramic shards and fragments of Maya
pottery. Legend has it that in anticipation of the
Spanish canoe-borne assault, the town treasures were hidden here. On a moonlit night a
gap can be seen between boulders on the site.
From the narrow opening there rushes forth a
sweet, cool fresh flow of air from deep inside
the volcano: nostrils twitch in heady anticipation. Is this the entrance to the Maya underworld, or the hiding place of Maya Gold? Only
a small child could possibly squeeze through
the gap but the prospect remains that treasures may lie beneath. The riches of Lake
Atitlán lie not solely in its waters and spectacular setting. The true magic lies in the people
and their communities, their rich textiles and
wondrous legends. ••• Jamie Marshall

destination

Location On the Central American Isthmus bordering Mexico to the
north, with Belize to the east and Honduras and El Salvador to the
south. • Population 14 million (est. 2004). • Area 108,000 square
km. • Capital Guatemala City. • Languages Spanish is the official
language. 23 indigenous languages also spoken, predominantly
Mayan. • Religion 70% Roman Catholic (& Maya), 30%
Protestant.• Currency The Quetzal - US dollars acceptable. • Visas
Issued on Arrival to many nationalities, including UK citizens
(Guatemalan Embassy, London: 020 7351 3042 for further information). • Getting there American Airlines flies to Guatemala city
via Miami, Continental via Houston, Iberia via Madrid & Miami. •
Accommodation simple pensiones to international class hotels.
Expect basic accommodation off the beaten track. • Health
Protection against malaria is essential for jungle areas, while vaccination against hepatitis A, typhoid, tetanus, cholera & polio are
strongly recommended. • Best Time to Visit Early October to
January provides the clearest weather in the highlands. • Safety
Contact the Foreign Office for detailed information. • Recommended
Reading Rough Guide to Guatemala & Footprint Handbook for
practical travel advice; Insight Guides as a photographic resource.
• Community life revolves around the market, church and fiestas.

71

Travel info

The Guatemalan Maya Centre is a non profit, cultural and educational centre dedicated to the Maya of Guatemala. Home to one of
the largest collections of Maya weaving in the world (with around
7000 textiles, and looms), the Centre organises exhibitions of
Guatemalan Maya life and dress. The Centre's study facilities
include an extensive reference relating to all aspects of Guatemala
and the Maya. The Centre was founded in 1990 by Krystyna
Deuss, author of “Indian Costumes from Guatemala”, who spends
several months each year in Guatemala continuing her research
into the customs of the Highland Maya. Jamie Marshall, curator of
the Centre's collections, is responsible for documenting the textiles. ••• JM

When a vechicle exploded outside Kuta's Sari
Club in October 2002, it shattered more than
the lives of the revelling holidaymakers and
their families. The peaceful image of a tropical
island paradise was also destroyed, taking with
it the livelihood of many living in the chain of
volcanic islands between Java and Flores.
Slowly, the island's hospitality industry found its
feet. Bali and Lombok made a gradual reappearance in holiday brochures – only to have
all progress swept away by the Asian Tsunami.
A short flight from Bali leads to Yogyakarta,
the ancient princely Javan state, which acts as
a gateway to the ancient temples of Borobodur
and Prambanan and as a repository for Central
Java's cultural traditions. The arts of Yogya, as
locals affectionately know the city, have been
honed and developed by royal patronage and
have become integral to everyday life. They can
however be a little intense and impenetrable to
the uneducated eyes and ears of western visitors. The word Wayang, meaning ghost, is used
to describe performances of traditional stories.
A theatrical performance using actors is known
as 'wayang orang'; three-dimensional string
controlled puppets are called 'wayang golek';
but 'wayang kulit', flat shadow puppets, are one
of Java's most famous cultural highlights.
Performances depict epic tales, often from
the Ramayana, which are familiar to the audience: they anticipate the action and respond
appropriately as the action unfolds.
Performances especially for tourists are edited
to appeal to our short attention span, but fully
to appreciate the art requires a stiff dose of caffeine: a performance starting at 8.30pm can
often conclude at dawn.
Fritz Wagner, in his 'Art of Indonesia', sums
up the performance as 'A mystical event in
which the invisible becomes visible, and something which cannot be adequately expressed
… becomes comprehensible...' The puppet
master known as 'Dalang' conducts the drama
with his array of flat, leather puppets. The seated audience can see the orchestra, puppet
master and performance, but the visitor quick-

Tsunami

02 Batik fabric.depicting traditional Javanese figures, Java ..

Neil McAllistair

It was with some trepidation that Diane Gaffney arrived for her annual visit to Indonesia just days after the Boxing Day tsunami.
“Although I didn't venture near the areas directly affected, the disaster was in everybody's minds”, she says. Diane heard first hand of
areas which had been devastated: “the island of Nias off the coast
of Sumatra was very badly hit by the tsunami and again by another
earthquake very recently. The people from this island are tribal and
make their own highly individual art including textiles. It will have
been a dreadful blow for the people and their culture.“ But she also
saw the indirect impact of the earthquake. Tourists from around the
world cancelled their trips for fear of spreading disease. They did not
think to find out that place somewhere like Bali is around 1,000
miles from the worst affected area North of Sumatra. Indonesia has
suffered from a whole succession of disasters; the overthrow of
Suharto, forest fires, SARS, the Bali bomb, and this is one more reason for people to cross it off their list of holiday destinations. Yet
many Indonesians rely on tourism, the affect has been devastating.
Batik plays a huge role in Javanese life; it is worn daily, especially
in rural areas. It plays an important part in ceremonies – births,
deaths and especially weddings. A traditional Javanese wedding is a
feast of textiles. The Government also does its best to encourage the
traditional craft by insisting that public employees wear batik every
Friday and that school uniform shirts are batik. Alongside the domestic market, the export trade is enormous; women from all over South
East Asia wear sarongs made in
Java. Through these means and
the sheer beauty of handcrafted
batik the craft will survive it's current difficulties and continue to
exemplify the hard working,
skilled and determined people of
this region.•••
Diane and Jim Gaffney are specialists in textiles from Indonesia and
all over the world, they have lectured on ethnographic textiles for
almost 20 years. They also source
and sell a beautiful range of genuine Indonesian batiks. Selvedge
readers will recieve a 10% discount when purchasing fabrics
from Textile Techniques.
T: 01588 638 712
www.textiletechniques.co.uk

selvedge.org

duced cloth for everyday shirts, skirts and
sarongs is made using the batik process. It is
only recently that machine printed cloth has
begun to make inroads into the market.
The area is ideal for batik production. All
the raw materials such as cotton and beeswax
are readily available, as are the plants from
which natural dyes are made. Traditional
colours are naturally derived deep indigo blues
and soga browns and these are still the characteristic colours for Solo Batik. The gradual
introduction of chemical dyes from the late
1800s resulted in more brilliant and varied, but
less refined, colours. In
the west we consider
batik an art process, but
in Indonesia – for all its
many languages – there
is no word for artist. The
craft processes that produce such beautiful
results are part of the
worker's labours. The fact
that they achieve a high
level of craftsmanship
cuts little ice with the
average worker; they
have pride in their work
but it is only a job.
Unlike Yogya, Solo
02
boasts two royal Kratons,
one of which is still occupied by the Royal
Prince. Within the Kraton, the sound of
Gamelan music drifts from hall to courtyard,
while royal retainers go about their daily business in their traditional costume. This is a
sarong, shirt and turban-like hat, all made
from the finest handmade batik in traditional
designs. Each Royal family has its own
designs, as do most towns and districts,
which allows traditionally dressed Javanese to
be easily identified.
Throughout Java the finest batik finds its
way into the shops of Batik Keris, a Solo based
manufacturer and retailer, whose workshop is
based a few kilometres from the centre of 4

global

ly notices a break from western theatrical tradition. During the long performance the audience get up, walk about, get something to eat,
go to the toilet, and disappear behind the stage
to appreciate the performance from a different
viewpoint. When puppets are moved a little
away from the screen they are not sharply
defined and have a kind of ghostly lack of substance. Only when the puppet is placed in firm
contact with the screen is the full decorative
effect of the puppet maker's workmanship
really seen. The leather is pierced with a fine
network of interlaced pattern with gilded and
painted decoration.
A 40 mile drive north
leads to Surakarta, universally shortened to Solo,
another city with royal origins. Ten tears older than
Yogya, the city has mystical origins. Following the
sacking of Kartasura's
Royal Court, the ruler
Pakubuwono II - known as
the Susuhunan - sought a
more auspicious location.
Cosmic voices directed the
king to decamp to Solo as
'it is the place decreed by
Allah and will become a
great and prosperous city.'
The prophesy proved accurate: today Solo is a
thriving city, home indeed to some of the
world's finest Batik textiles.
The art of batik has its roots deep in the
history of the Far East. Ancient examples have
been found from the Middle East, through
India and Central Asia to the Far East. There is
evidence that batik was practised in China as
early as the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618), but it is
generally believed that the craft spread through
the islands of the Malay Archipelago and west
via caravan trade routes. The word 'batik' itself
is Javanese, meaning 'marking with dots', and
is an everyday textile art. In a country where
labour is cheaper than machinery, mass-pro-

73

01 Palace Guard in a traditional batik headdress.

74

03 Local ruler in Yogyakarta wwith wife and child, 1927.

Throughout the process, work is rapid
and precise. One part of the huge workshop
is devoted to hand waxing cloth, where full
lengths of cotton and silk are waxed in the traditional way, using hand, eye and the
Tjanting. Sometimes called a Canting, this
wax dispensing tool is basically a reservoir
holding molten wax from which a thin pipe or
pipes project, allowing wax to flow on to the
cloth. The Tjanting can make a wide range of
marks, from single or multiple lines to dots,
which resemble the dots produced by cap
printing. Workers first draw out their basic
designs lightly with soft
pencil – no mean feat on
fabric that can be many
metres long. Then, sitting
in circles around a communal wax pot, they
apply the wax to their
cloth in a time consuming
and precise process.
Whilst Solo is the
undoubted leader in
industrial scale batik production, Yogya is the craft
batik centre, a haven for
craftspeople who use the
medium
expressively.
Here
batik
is created
03
which varies from the
stunning and imaginative work of genuine
artists, to extremely ordinary pieces knocked
out to meet the demand for Yogya batik paintings, from the home and tourist markets.
Batiks do have a front and back; the front
is crisper in appearance, but the finished result
is suitable for viewing by transmitted light. The
design goes right through the cloth and is not
confined to the surface. Two different kinds of
wax are generally used: paraffin wax and
beeswax. Yogya's tiny shops are crammed to
the roof with blocks of wax ready to supply the
town's craftsmen. Beeswax is used for lines or
flat areas that need to remain totally undyed.
Paraffin wax can be used for areas where a
Leo Haks photo collection, Amsterdam

town. On the outside it looks like a huge modern factory and the inside proves to be a hive
of activity, with thousands of workers creating
magnificent textiles. When westerners think of
mass-production an image of whirring machinery churning out cheap goods often springs to
mind: but in the Batik Keris workshop, massproduction means large-scale craft production,
with a staggeringly high level of craftsmanship.
Men and women work alongside each other,
with the heavier task of printing more often
done by the men, while women tend to specialise in the delicate work of hand applying
dyes and hand waxing.
Most of the batik produced here is cap printed, a process where hot
wax is printed on to cloth,
which is then dyed.
Where the cloth is covered with wax the dye
cannot penetrate and the
original colour of the cloth
remains. The printing
blocks themselves are
works of art in their own
right. Hand-made from
iron, copper and brass,
they use wire and strips to
form astoundingly complex patterns. The worker
makes his way down a length of fabric, dipping
his block into a heated wax pad and pressing it
on to the fabric, each impression perfectly registered with the last.
After dyeing with the palest colour, the fabric
is waxed again with a new block which adds a
new pattern, sealing in the first dyed colour and
the original colour of the cloth. The process continues; sometimes dye is applied with a brush for
even more complex results. By the time the
process is over, the fabric contains so much wax
it is almost stiff enough to stand up on its own
and looks dull and brown. Boiling removes the
wax – which is reclaimed and used again –
revealing bright and colourful cloth.

cracked texture is needed; as it is placed in the
dye bath it cracks gently and dye seeps
through to the cloth. Alternatively, when a very
crackly texture is needed, the waxed area can
be gently crushed before dyeing.
When all the cloth is to be coloured, dyeing can take place in a tub, large bucket or
tin bath. If colour only needs to be applied to
a small area it can be applied by brush, and
this allows many techniques to be used. The
strength of the dye can be varied rather like
the strength of watercolour paint. Some of
the best contemporary examples use combinations of techniques, applying different
waxes with brush and Tjanting and then
combining bath dyeing with selective applications of colour.
The complexity of some of the traditional
hand waxed batiks means that even when
workers can earn only a few dollars a day, finished cloth can cost from tens to hundreds of
pounds, depending on the design.
Handmade lengths of cloth, known as Tulis,
may take several months to produce with a
consequentially high price. In the heat of the
market, or in the air conditioned comfort of
the Batik Keris shop, finished batik garments
and lengths of cloth are sold to a voracious
home market, keeping alive a craft tradition
that for the forseeable future is showing every
sign of fighting off mechanised competition.
The delineation between 'craft' and 'art' batik
is rarely clearly defined. Much 'industrial'
work could be considered art using anybody's
definition. It would be worthy of hanging on a
gallery wall, if only a sufficiently large frame
could be found. ••• Neil McAllister

Flight pattern
BIRDS, BEES AND BEAUTIFUL FLORALS: GILLY
NEWBERRY DOCUMENTS THE FINEST PRINTS
behind the grand facades of the streets of
Sloane Square lies a small square house. This
simple structure is Gilly Newberry’s studio.
The pale blue front door opens directly into a
large airy room arranged to include a seating
area, desk and a miniature library under stairs
leading to a mezzanine gallery. A doorway
leads off to the kitchen and bathroom and with
that the tour is complete.
In the past Gilly's beautiful Georgian rectory
in Norfolk has been the subject of interior features, and her studio is a microcosm of her enviable style. Simple wooden furniture, large armchairs, a handful of ornaments and an atmosphere of comfort and ease: it’s the natural result
of a room composed with skill.
Gilly's particular skill, both personal and
professional, is translating the 'English country
house' to the modern interior. Launched in
1985, Bennison specialises in hand-printed
fabrics. Directors Gilly and Geoffrey Newberry
were drawn into the world of fabric design
through legendary antiques dealer and interior
decorator Geoffrey Bennison. Gilly’s collaboration with him began with the creation of fabrics
for use in his interiors. These were based on
Bennison's collection of document fabrics from
the late 18th and 19th centuries, particularly
hand-blocked textiles from France, England and
India. Following Bennison's death in 1984, his
business and his wonderful collection were left
to Gillian and her husband (also called
Geoffrey). Geoffrey Bennison’s presence
remains strong. Gilly recalls his 'wonderful eye'
and even now the question “would Geoffrey
have liked it?” acts as guide in her decision
making. During the past 20 years the Bennison

fabric collection has grown but nothing has
been discarded during the expansion: no fabric
is ever discontinued.
Her passion for the collection is apparent in
her handling of the pieces and in her difficulty in
choosing anything close to a personal favourite.
In practice the piece of cloth in her hands at any
given moment becomes her favourite as she
draws attention to details in the pattern, the print
technique or an area that has been carefully
patched or mended. For Gilly the document
fabric represents the design in its 'perfect' state.
When recreating them as Bennison fabrics, few
alterations are made to the original; a slight
adjustment of scale and the creation of new
colourways maybe, but the skill of the draughtsman are always maintained.
Occasionally elements of a design are omitted, usually as a concession to prevailing tastes.
During the 1980s birds were very unpopular
and a beautiful print was reproduced by
Bennison without its peacock motif. When
pressed Gilly acknowledges her current delight
in bird motifs and pulls from her collection a
range of printed fabrics featuring an array of
them but she doesn’t regret the lost peacock.
“Everything”, she says, “has its moment”: a
time when after years, even decades, of looking
‘wrong’ a pattern or style will suddenly fit and
appear fresh and beautiful.
Birds had their biggest moment to date in
the early 19th century when, as Patricia Smith
notes in her book Calico and Chintz, they were
a genre of chintz in their own right. Gilly has fine
examples of many different birds including parrots, birds of paradise – recognisable due to its
long graceful tail feathers – peacock and also an
ostrich toile in both purple and red colourways.4

01
02

selvedge.org

Richard Nicholson

Tucked away along a narrow passageway

78
collect

03 04
05 06

They became feasible with the invention of
copperplate printing, discovered by Frances
Nixon in 1752. A large intaglio engraved copper
plate was filled with dye and pressed down hard
on to the fabric. Very fine lined and detailed
motifs could be printed, which had been possible with wood block printing. Thomas Bell, from
Scotland, patented the roller printer in 1783.
The method took a while to catch on, but from
1810 was the preferred method of printing.
Another of Gilly’s document fabrics features
an eagle. The eagle is one of the oldest symbols
representing strength, faith, pride, lofty thought
and keen eyesight: and nowadays, the United
States of America. Of course true meaning is in
the eye of the beholder. Gilly's eye is one of the
sharpest in her field and her appreciation of
these beautiful fabrics is heartfelt yet unsentimental. Her awareness of her role as custodian
rather than proprietor is clear and she sidesteps
questions which veer towards romanticism –
when asked if she had any knowledge of the
symbolism of the birds or the 'language of flowers' she delivers a rather stern glance and
enquires in turn if she is being asked about
“that Victorian nonsense?”
Clearly her enjoyment of the collection
coexists with a no nonsense practicality. Unlike
some collectors Gilly does not appear to need
elaborate explanations. Her textiles are happily
unburdened by long pontifications on their origin or social importance. The visual is placed
over the verbal and above all beauty takes
precedence. Gilly holds them in trust; aware
that they are here today and gone tomorrow she
simply enjoys the visit. ••• Beth Smith
01 English, late 18th Century polychrome.
02 English, early 19th Century, recreated by

Ferns, flowers and all things botanical inspire Clarissaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eponymous line of sumptuous screen printed silk cushions, throws, bed linen and lampshades. The flowers and leaves she uses in her designs are handpicked but not always by Clarissa.
Friends send suitable samples from as far away as Canada but from that point on
the work is in Clarissaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hands. Although she juggles a hectic schedule her joy in
the creative process is undiminished after 10 years in the business.
www.clarissahulse.com

quintessence

Floral tribute

82
read

The World of Coco Chanel: Friends,
Fashion, Fame

Xtreme Fashion

Edmonde Charles-Roux, Thames & Hudson, ISBN

3791331752, £25.00

Courtenay Smith and Sean Topham, Prestel, ISBN

0500512167, £29.95.

We owe a great deal to Coco Chanel, an icon

The cover grabs the attention imme-

of the 20th century. Her legacy is the looks

diately. In making reference to

we take for granted: suntans, easy hair,

extreme activities, the title suggests

striped t-shirts and sailor pants, cardigan

danger and ultimate challenges. This

jackets and a scent known by its number 5 -

book offers thought-provoking insight

her lucky number and the source of her for-

into expressive fashion.

selvedge.org

tune and her freedom.

The four chapters debate the

On the surface Chanel was the woman

importance of urban street style, the

who had it all – christened Gabrielle, Coco

nature of multifunctional garments that protect and perform and the per-

to her intimates, Mademoiselle to her staff

sonal, social and even political messages given by our clothing. The text is

and the world – but this was a poor girl who left her convent with a sense

easy to access with an in-depth yet succinct introduction that sets the scene

of style so strong it broke the mould. In her twenties, Chanel threw out the

and covers many angles from music to sport, while discussing the increas-

corsets, skirts and hats that hampered women and strode onto the social

ingly democratic nature of fashion.

scene at Deauville tanned and fit in loose jackets and skirts, the epitome

Clothes are a signifier of our times and demonstrate the ways in which

of the liberated woman. By 1918 she had opened her first boutique, and

we live or aspire, how we perceive ourselves and relate to others. Such codes

was photographed, smiling and stretching like a cat in the sun, jersey out-

are often subliminal and the mystery and potency of the wide world of fash-

fit showing off her supple body.

ion is laid out here in an honest and frank manner. Technology plays a huge

By her thirties she had an eponymous business plus a string of lovers.

role and has greatly affected our society: how we work and how we play. The

She designed costumes for Diaghilev, Cocteau and Picasso.To be invited to

incorporation of electronics and sensors for communication, entertainment,

loll on Chanel's velvet sofas was an accolade – and a photo opportunity.

protection and safety and the employment of super-advanced flexible mate-

Chanel's ability to reinvent herself was her greatest asset, and in the

rials with high-performance capabilities is explored. The work of internation-

Fifties her fame spread worldwide. Film stars wore Chanel with pride - as did

al designers is illustrated with well-chosen images and concise text. There

Jackie Kennedy as First Lady. The Chanel suit was the working girl's uniform

are many Japanese practitioners featured due to the significant role tech-

and its begetter remained the indefatigable worker, then in her eighties,

nology plays in this country of tradition and innovation, while those from Italy

scissors at the ready, as she cut and reworked her jackets. In the Sixties, at

demonstrate a material-centred attitude to design. From the USA, a positive,

the first show I covered, I remember seeing her sitting on the stairs, look-

anything-goes approach is clearly to the fore.

ing down on the audience, attentive and true to one of her famous remarks:

Also shown are inspirations from various disciplines and backgrounds.

“Chanel, above all else, is a style. Fashion goes out of fashion, style never.”

Art and performance; fashion and architecture; textiles and science; tailor-

This book by Edmonde Charles-Roux, former editor in chief of French

ing and engineering – all can mutually interact, the result being homogenous

Vogue, and friend, offers a frank portrait of her long, mesmerising life. First

creativity. Included are the established and the next big names of fashion.

published in l979, this reprint has over 400 illustrations and photographs

Like the fashion it documents, Xtreme Fashion is a provocative and chal-

that chronicle the cat-like Chanel's many lives.

••• Deirdre McSharry

lenging study.

••• Sarah E. Braddock Clarke

83

In brief
Quilt Collection at York Castle Museum. Josie
Sheppard, York Museums Trust, ISBN 0
905807 19 7, £20
T: 01904 687687
www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk
More than 80 items of the York Castle
Museum patchwork and quilt collection are illustrated in this glossy
publication. Many of them have never been on public display. The

accompanying text provides descriptive details about the techniques
and fascinating snippets of personal information about the makers,
bringing the artefacts to life. This is not an historical account of the
crafts for, as Josie Sheppard writes, this has been done ably elsewhere. Rather, it will serve as a lasting record of a remarkable collection that ranges from well-used, functional quilts to decorative fancy

Art and Fashion offers a panoramic overview
of the way art has impacted on fashion, and
vice versa, over 500 years. Despite the Yves
Saint Laurent dress on the cover, it focuses in
most depth on the period from the 18th to the
early 20th centuries.
There is plenty of detail on the stylistic
similarities and crossovers between art and
fashion but, although there are references to 'the interrelation of art and
fashion', she does not define either term. It seems, however, that by 'art' she
includes 'decorative arts' alongside fine art.
Rather than discussing the social and economic context of art and fashion, she presents the relationship between the two as stylistic. Yet so long
as the links claimed between art and fashion are based on visual similarity
alone, we cannot get to the bottom of the relationship. Both may mimic each
other convincingly at particular moments in history, but this mimickry can
disguise underlying structural differences, in terms of both production and
markets. The author does suggest this approach where she asserts that 'art
and fashion were inextricably linked as cultures of consumption during the
July monarchy' in 19th century France, but the point is not developed.
Instead, the comparisons with art are sometimes stretched, as where a
photograph of a Doucet gown in 1903 is likened to Watteau's treatment of
dress, and the play of light on it to an Impressionist painting. That the couturier Charles Frederick Worth dressed like Rembrandt in old age, and
declared his gowns to be works of art, is better evidence of his considerable
marketing skills than of any link between haute couture and art.
There has been a recent tendency, in both books and international exhibitions, to blur rather than distinguish the boundaries, and to assert that art
and fashion are more proximate than they may actually be. In fact it is often
the differences between them - particularly when they are flirting with each
other, art seduced by fashion's glamour, fashion by art's clout – that are
interesting and illuminating to explore.

••• Caroline Evans

work. The selection, shown in chronological order, clearly demonstrates the astonishing diversity and sophistication of British patchwork and quilting over the last 300 years. Dispelling once and for all
the idea that British patchwork was limited to hexagons.

intrinsically linked to the exhibitions they
cover, it is a great pity when they fail to be
viewed as beautiful books in their own right.
The treasures captured in this catalogue means it stands alone as
an impressive record of the role of textiles in the culture and history
of Austronesians. It would be a more lasting record if the book were
enclosed in a stronger cover but the design is simple and the textiles
are given the space they require to allow readers to truely appreciate
the maker’s workmanship and skill.
Even if a trip to Washington DC is impossible this publication
with it’s wonderfully detailed illustrations – that helpfully show both a
detail and each textile in it’s entirity – and fascinating analysis of pattern design is an essential addition to any library.

All information was correct at the time of going to press. Please call to confirm before setting out on your journey. To be included in the listings please send details to assistant@selvedge.org.Entries are made based on geographical spread, dates and diversity of theme

It seems that as soon as one institution studiously erases the word
craft from its name another pops up to replace it. The new San
Francisco Museum of Craft + Design is the latest to join the list,
opening to the public in late 2004. A clever mission statement
sidesteps the linguistic debate of art versus craft by stating that the
promotion of “the art of contemporary craft and design” is the new
museum's focus. Housed in the space previously occupied by the
Tercera Gallery in the heart of San Francisco, architect Alan
Ohashi's redesign combines the clean light walls of white cube
thinking with exposed brickwork and beams. A gift shop takes up
a good portion of the 3,000 square-foot space, but perhaps we
shouldn't sneer too quickly at commerce as it does provide another solid venue for the sale of craft objects.
JoAnn Edwards, co-founder and executive director of the museum,
explains: “our goal is to educate the public about the 'present' of
craft by celebrating and promoting the artists and culture of contemporary craft and design.” A noble idea, but some have voiced
concern that the museum joins an already vibrant museum scene
in San Francisco that includes the established Museum of Folk Art
in Fort Mason which maintains a very similar mission statement:
“dedicated to contemporary craft, American folk art, and traditional cultural art”. It is feared that the presence of two similar venues
may dilute rather than strengthen the cause of contemporary craft.
Only time will tell if this is the case. The inaugural exhibition
“Dovetailing Art and Life: The Bennett Collection” of furniture,
ceramics from the collection of Silvia and Garry Knox Bennett
opened to mixed reviews. Currently on display is “Nouveaux
Nuptials”, through to June 26, 2005. ••• JH

September, Tues-Fri 9-4. The
The Case of the Fan: 100 fans with their boxes or cases.

Anniversary

of

the

Textile

August, 10-5.30.

All information was correct at the time of going to press. Please call to confirm before setting out on your journey. To be included in the listings please send details to assistant@selvedge.org.Entries are made based on geographical spread, dates and diversity of theme

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR OFFERS
HAND MADE AND HAND KNITTED
ITEMS, YARNS AND KITS

selvedge.org

See us every Friday at Spitalfields Market.
Email us to go on our mailing list.
Contact:buzzstokes@hotmail.com
or call 02072539556 and 07905075017.

Solider Boy The appeal of men in uniform.
Turkish delights Whet your appetite
before the European Textile Conference.
Military might Hand and Lock leads the
field in embroidery and embellishment.
Modern times Sarah Braddock Clarke
brings us up to date with Techno textiles.
Dedicated follower of fashion Modern day
dandies are demanding their share of the
beautiful things.

93

Coming next

THE UNIFORM ISSUE
THE POLITICS, POMP AND CEREMONY OF DRESS

World domination Fashion staple and uniform of youth: we chart the unstoppable
rise of denim.
Dress to impress Artists have always used
clothing as a symbol and statement.
Jessica Hemmings uncovers some current examples.
Grand designs Embroidery expert Layla
Moussa draws on the Mogul era and the
treasures of the 17 and 18th centuries.

Looking the part The significance of
national dress and tribal clothing.
Artextilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s woven cloth has been gracing
catwalks and celebrities for decades.
Figuratively speaking The striking scuptural works of Marie Blaisse.
The price is right The pros, cons and
long term impact of textile tariffs.
Circle in the sand The nomadic style and
natural beauty of Ocelot clothing.

SUMMER WINE Sitting in a peaceful garden on a warm
summer evening sipping a glass of cold white wine is one of
life's simple pleasures.
Set in the spectacular scenery of the Surrey Hills, Denbies
is one of the largest privately owned vineyards in Europe but
there's more to Denbies than just fine wines. The chateaustyle visitor centre offers excellent facilities. There's a choice
of restaurants, art exhibitions, and a well stocked gift shop.
Denbies is offering Selvedge readers the chance to tour the
winery and taste the wine. Selvedge has 5 free pairs of
tickets, simply send your details to the usual address.*1
FRIDA KAHLO The Mexican
artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is
regarded as one of the most
significant artists of the twentieth
century. Tate Modern is currently
showing the first major UK
exhibition dedicated to her work
to take place for over twenty
years. Selvedge has 6 pairs of
tickets to give away.*1
Frida Kahlo. 9 June-9 October 2005. To book tickets visit
www.tate.org.uk/tickets or T: 020 7887 8888'.

This dramatic and
ground-breaking
compilation,
published by
Prestel, explores the weird and wonderful edges of
the fashion world and some of its most eccentric
and subversive designers. Selvedge has 5 copies
to give away.*1

THE YELLOW BOOK
Private gardens of quality,
character and interest have
been opening in aid of the
National Gardens Scheme
since 1927. Approximately
3,300 gardens now open in
aid of the Scheme and its
beneficiary charities. The
Scheme has grown from the creative entwining of
two strands of English heritage - the national
passion for gardening, and the desire to help
those in need.
Selvedge has 6 copies of The Yellow Book priced
£7.99 to give away.*1

ART IN ACTION 2005 Started in 1977, Art
in Action is recognised by artists and visitors
to be one of the best arts and crafts events in the
UK. It regularly attracts over 25,000 visitors and
more than 250 artists who demonstrate their skills
and answer questions about their art. Selvedge
has 6 pairs of Art In
Action tickets worth
£13.50 to give away.*1
Art in Action 2005:
Waterperry House,
Oxfordshire
14 - 17 July, 10.305.30 T: 020 7381 3192
www.artinaction.org.uk
Kirsten Glasbrook

NEW SUBSCRIBERS…
BEST OFFER YET
All new subscribers will receive a
free stylish Lotta Jansdotter mini tote
worth £20. Made from 100% linen
with a quirky chick design, they are
the perfect summer accessory.*2

CLARISSA HULSE
CUSHIONS
Our lavender bag offer proved so
popular that we've returned with a
bigger and better version. Selvedge
has 6 gorgeous Clarissa Hulse
cushions worth £69 to give away.
*colour and design may vary